The Sworn Brothers
by Crookshanks3
Summary: Watanuki and Doumeki suddenly get transported into another dimension that is like old China, but with many Japanese living there. In that dimension, like in old China, marriages between two people of same sex are common. Shounen-ai.
1. Chapter 1

The Sworn Brothers

Watanuki was taking a stroll, enjoying the bright spring sun and the blooming sakuras, when it suddenly started to rain. Watanuki took cover in the shelter of the gate of a temple, hoping the rain would end soon, when he heard the familiar voice calling, 'Oi!'

'My name is not 'Oi'!' Watanuki snarled.

'You're soaked,' Doumeki said, ignoring his anger as always. 'Come in, you need to dry off.'

'Don't give me orders!' Watanuki said, but went with Doumeki.

Doumeki led him through the beautiful garden of the temple to the house for the priests. Once they got there, Doumeki opened the fusuma, removed his shoes and went in. Watanuki followed him. Doumeki searched in an old chest of drawers and fished out a yukata of white color with a sinuous blue stream surrounded by bush clovers.

'Here, put this on,' he said calmly.

Watanuki glared at him but took the yukata.

'I'll make tea for you,' Doumeki said and departed. Watanuki undressed, put the yukata on and sat down on the tatami. Soon Doumeki came back, carrying a tray with a cup of green tea and some mochi. He put the tray on the floor in front of Watanuki and sat down by Watanuki's side.

Watanuki began to drink the tea. It was very good. Doumeki watched him.

'What are you looking at!?' Watanuki said. Doumeki just ignored him again.

Suddenly, a burst of bright white light appeared in the room and began to grow. It quickly reached Watanuki. Doumeki quickly grabbed his bow that was propped against a wall, and then grabbed Watanuki's hand. The light spread to him too, and then he felt as if he was falling, and then for a moment he saw darkness. Then he fell on his behind.

***************************

Doumeki found they landed in a glade in a bamboo forest. Watanuki was sitting by his side, looking around in confusion.

'Where are we?' he asked.

'I don't know; it could be anywhere,' Doumeki shrugged.

'Thanks for the information!' Watanuki said acidly.

'Well, I don't,' Doumeki said. 'That was strong magic back then, and now we could be in another dimension, for all I know.'

'Another dimension???'

'Well, why not. We know they exist.'

'And how do we get back???'

'First we must know where we are,' Doumeki said and got up, then pulled Watanuki to his feet.

'Don't manhandle me!!!' Watanuki yelled. Doumeki just covered his ears.

***************************

They walked through the forest. It was a big forest. Suddenly they saw a cute girl in a red robe held by a large ayakashi that was about to devour her.

'Doumeki!!!' Watanuki shouted.

Doumeki nodded and quickly gripped his longbow and drew the bowstring, aiming at the ayakashi. Watanuki saw a white shining arrow of light fly to the ayakashi and hit it in one of its eyes. The ayakashi dissolved instantly. The girl sat down and stared.

'What was that???'

'We usually call them ayakashi,' Doumeki answered calmly. 'A spirit resembling a cloud with many eyes.'

'A cloud with many eyes?? And how did you kill it without an arrow?'

'I saw a white shining arrow,' Doumeki answered. 'I suppose it was my ki.'

'You mean qi?' the girl asked. 'So you are Yamato?'

'Yes, we are,' Doumeki answered. 'My humble name is Doumeki Shizuka, and my friend is Watanuki Kimihiro.'

Doumeki and Watanuki bowed.

'My humble name is Zhou Shuin.'

'Chou Shuin-san, would you tell us where we are? We got lost,' Doumeki said.

'Of course. This is the Kingdom of Wu.'

'Kingdom of Wu???' Watanuki exclaimed.

'It seems we are very much lost,' Doumeki said.

'Very much lost is not the word!!!' Watanuki said.

'Come to our house,' Shuin said. 'Stay and rest for a while.'

'Thank you very much, Zhou Shuin-san,' Doumeki said. 'We accept.'

Watanuki just sighed.

***************************

While they walked through the woods, Shuin asked:

'Are you friends or lovers?'

'Whaaat!?' Watanuki said.

'We are just friends,' Doumeki said.

'I see,' Shuin said. 'You just get along so well!'

'Why all the girls say that???' Watanuki said.

Shuin smiled.

***************************

They came to a manor surrounded by a wall, with Chinese-type roofs and tree tops showing on top of it. Shuin went along the wall and came to a gate. Shuin pushed the gate and opened it and went inside. Watanuki and Doumeki followed her. They found themselves in a courtyard with Chinese-style buildings and trees. Shuin led them to one pavilion and then inside it.

'Wait here please,' she said and went out. Watanuki and Doumeki sat down into carved redwood chairs and looked around. There were scrolls with Chinese landscapes on the walls, carved and lacquer wooden tables with flowers in porcelain vases along the walls and large porcelain vases on the floor by the walls.

Some time later Shuin returned with a middle-aged man in green robe, a middle-aged woman in a yellow robe and a young man in black robe.

Watanuki and Doumeki stood up and made a deep bow.

'These are Doumeki Shizuka-san and Watanuki Kimihiro-san', Shuin said. 'Doumeki-san, Watanuki-san, these are my father Zhou Yi, my mother Wei Yuhua and my elder brother Zhou Wen.'

'Hajimemashite,' Watanuki and Doumeki said.

'Please sit down,' Mr. Zhou said. Mr. Zhou, Lady Wei, Wen, Shuin, Doumeki and Watanuki sat down.

'So you are Yamato?' Mr. Zhou asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'You are traveling?' Lady Wei asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'Are you exorcists?' Wen asked.

'I am,' Doumeki said. 'Watanuki is a seer. It was he who saw the spirit in the first place, I just shot it. He has great powers, my powers are much lesser. My powers are due to my heritage. I come from a long line of Buddhist priests of the Shingon sect. My grandfather, Haruka, was very powerful.'

'You are a Buddhist priest, but can marry, then, Doumeki-san?' Lady Wei asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'And you, Watanuki-san, are you a priest of this Shingon sect too?' Lady Wei asked.

'No,' Watanuki said. 'I am an assistant to a witch.'

'A witch? A powerful one?' Lady Wei asked.

'Very powerful and very mysterious one.' Watanuki smiled. 'Very beautiful also.'

'Oh,' Lady Wei said.

At this point a maid brought a small table with meals - a soup, spring rolls, an omelet, noodle soup and tea.

'Itadakimasu,' Watanuki and Doumeki said.

Watanuki drank the broth of the soup and started to eat the filling with his chopsticks. The soup was wonderful, with meaty pork ribs, offal, mushrooms, fried tofu puffs, garnishings of chopped coriander and a sprinkling of dried shallots, broth spiced with star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, garlic and something else Watanuki couldn't place.

'Wonderful soup!' Watanuki said. 'How is it made? I want the recipe!'

'You cook, Watanuki-san?' Lady Wei asked.

'Yes.' Watanuki blushed.

'He is a very good cook,' Doumeki said.

'Don't just take it for granted!!!' Watanuki said.

'Well, if you are a good cook, you probably know most of the ingredients,' Lady Wei said. 'The ones you don't know are yu zhu - the rhizome of Solomon's Seal, you would call it, and ju zhi - the buckthorn fruit.'

'Ah, thank you very much,' Watanuki said.

'You haven't encountered Southern cuisine till now, did you?'

'No, I didn't,' Watanuki confessed. 'I only know the classic Chinese cuisine.'

'There is a very good dish called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. It is a soup made of quail eggs, bamboo shoots, scallops, sea cucumber, abalone, shark fin, chicken, Jinhua ham, pork tendon, ginseng, mushrooms, taro and other things, some recipes require thirty ingredients and twelve condiments. It requires one or two full days to make. They say a scholar was travelling by foot with his friends and kept all his food in a clay jar for wine. When he stopped to rest, he warmed up the jar with the ingredients over an open fire. When he arrived to the town of Fuzhou and started to cook the dish, one of the monks from the nearby Buddhist monastery jumped over the wall to where the scholar was cooking the dish. A poet among the travelers said that even Buddha would jump over the wall to eat the dish.'

'I know I would have,' Doumeki said.

'That's because you're a bottomless pit!' Watanuki said.

'Are you friends, lovers or spouses?' Lady Wei asked.

'S-spouses!?' Watanuki exclaimed.

'You don't know about the custom? Here, when two men love each other, they give an oath that the sworn brothers give to each other, but they then live together and sleep together like husband and wife, and the older one provides for all their expenses and the younger one's parents treat the older one as their son-in-law, and the older one's parents treat the younger one as their son-in-law too. The older one is the older sworn brother - qixiong, and the younger one is the younger sworn brother - qidi.'

'I've read about this custom,' Doumeki said. 'There was such a custom in our land too.'

'Really?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'So you aren't married then?' Lady Wei asked.

'No!' Watanuki said. 'Why would I marry this oaf!?'

'We are just friends,' Doumeki said.

'I see,' Lady Wei said. 'But you must be close friends - you get along so well.'

Watanuki sighed.

'I would say you are the younger sworn brother, Watanuki-san,' Lady Wei said.

'Why?' Watanuki asked.

'Because you scold Doumeki-san and cook for him,' Lady Wei said.

'That's just the way he is,' Doumeki said.

'Actually I don't know who of us is the younger one,' Watanuki said. 'We were in the same class at school, and where we are from, it usually means that we are the same age.'

'I'm seventeen,' Doumeki said.

'I am too,' Watanuki said. 'Hey, that means that I'm the younger one, because your birthday is the Girls Day and mine is April First!'

'Like your surname?' Lady Wei smiled.

'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'It's a strange coincidence.'

'So you two are just seventeen? You seem much older,' Lady Wei said.

'Thank you,' Doumeki said.

'So you are an archer, Doumeki-san?' Lady Wei asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'He is a very good archer,' Watanuki said. 'He wins all the competitions, and his archery saved my life many times.'

'Oh, is that so?' Lady Wei said.

'Yes, he always guards me,' Watanuki said. Lady Wei smiled.

'If you can't find the way back, there's a deserted Buddhist temple in the woods, Awamorishouma-in (Astilbe Temple). Yamato Buddhist priests built it. You can settle there.'

'This is a sign,' Doumeki said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'Thank you, Wei Yuhua-san.'

'Oh, it's nothing. It is such a lovely small temple in Yamato style, and so many astilbes around it!'

'What is this delicious soup called, Wei Yuhua-san?' Watanuki asked.

'Bak kut teh,' Lady Wei answered.

'Is this a dialect?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes, the Hakka dialect spoken here in the South,' Lady Wei answered.

'Oh.'

'Please have some tea,' Lady Wei said.

Watanuki took a white porcelain cup with blue pattern and sipped the tea.

'Oh, this is oolong!'

'Yes, Tieguanyin - the Iron Goddess of Mercy.' Lady Wei smiled.

'I see,' Watanuki said.

Watanuki took some omelet with his chopsticks and tasted it. It was an oyster omelet, with small oysters. It was good.

'Are you two for the first time here in the South?' Lady Wei asked.

'Yes. In fact, we don't even know what province is this,' Doumeki said.

'Oh, Fujian,' Lady Wei said.

'I thought so much,' Doumeki said.

'Oh, you must go to see Suzhou - it's the most beautiful town in the world, with its old gardens and channels! And the 'fairies of the lake' - the dolphins of the Dongting Lake!'

'I didn't know that dolphins lived in fresh water,' Watanuki said.

'They do,' Doumeki said.

'And you must go to see the capital, Jianye, Fuzhou, and Hong Kong. They are splendid cities.'

'Thank you,' Watanuki said.

'You don't ask how to make the oyster omelet, Watanuki-san?' Lady Wei asked.

'Oh, I know how to make it,' Watanuki said.

Lady Wei smiled.

'So, how do you like the South so far?'

'Very much.' Watanuki smiled.

'Yes, the South is beautiful,' Lady Wei said.

'Are you from the same town?' Shuin asked.

'Yes, Doumeki's family has a temple there,' Watanuki said. 'My home is nearby.'

'And what do your parents do, Watanuki-san?' Shuin asked.

'My parents died when I was little,' Watanuki answered.

'Oh, I'm sorry,' Shuin said.

'No, it's nothing, it was a long time ago,' Watanuki said.

'You have such faithful friend as Doumeki-san,' Shuin said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'You are such a good couple!' Lady Wei smiled.

Watanuki sighed.

Watanuki took the bowl with the noodle soup in his hand and drank the broth and then started to eat the noodles with his chopsticks.

'And this you surely know very well how to make.' Lady Wei smiled.

'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'It is like our ramen.'

'And it's called ban mian.' Lady Wei smiled.

'Really?' Watanuki said.

'Watanuki-san, the school you and Doumeki-san went to wasn't a school for young men preparing for the examinations for an official position, right? Because as Doumeki-san is a Buddhist priest, he doesn't need the examinations, and neither do you, as you are a witch's apprentice.'

'No, it was just a school for learning basics - writing, reading and mathematics, and so on.' Watanuki smiled.

'I thought so,' Lady Wei said.

'It's so good that Awamorishouma-in won't be deserted now,' Shuin said. 'It's such a nice temple.'

'We'll take care of it,' Watanuki said.

Doumeki nodded.

'It's so Yamato,' Lady Wei said. 'It's good that Yamato priests shall live there now.'

Shuin nodded.

'Are you good at housekeeping too, Watanuki-san?' Lady Wei asked.

'Well, I can do it,' Watanuki said.

'He is,' Doumeki said.

'You are a very lucky man, Doumeki-san.' Lady Wei smiled. 'And you'll be even more lucky if you marry Watanuki-san.'

'Like I'd ever marry him!' Watanuki said.

Lady Wei and Shuin smiled.

Watanuki put his bowl back and took a spring roll. It was delicious. The filling was stir-fried turnips, jicama, bean sprouts, French beans, lettuce leaves, grated carrots, slices of Chinese sausage, thinly sliced fried tofu, chopped peanuts, fried shallots and shredded omelette.

'What is this called?' Watanuki asked.

'Popiah,' Lady Wei answered.

'I'll try to make this,' Watanuki said.

'I'm sure you can make it.' Lady Wei smiled.

'He can,' Doumeki said.

Watanuki blushed.

'Watanuki-san is so humble.' Lady Wei smiled.

'Is that temple ancient?' Doumeki asked.

'Yes, it is.' Lady Wei smiled.

'Excellent,' Doumeki said.

'The buildings are beautiful. There are a pagoda, the abbot's residence, a library, a great hall, a lecture hall and another small hall.'

'Good,' Doumeki said.

'The gardens are large and beautiful, now many flowers are in bloom - astilbes, hydrangeas, mallows, sweet peas, clematises, roses.'

'That's wonderful,' Watanuki said.

'The temple itself isn't large, but it isn't too small,' Shuin said.

'That's great,' Watanuki said.

Doumeki nodded.

'Awamorishouma-in is so lovely hidden among the woods,' Lady Wei said.

'Wonderful,' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Lady Wei smiled.

'Well, thank you for the meal,' Watanuki said.

'You're welcome,' Lady Wei said. 'Shuin, show Watanuki-san and Doumeki-san the way to Awamorishouma-in.'

'Yes.' Shuin smiled.

Watanuki, Doumeki, Lady Wei, Mr. Wei, Wen and Shuin rose. Lady Wei, Mr. Wei and Wen saw Watanuki, Doumeki and Shuin off, and then Watanuki, Doumeki and Shuin walked off.

They walked through the bamboo woods, and then came to a glade. At the glade there was a large gate surrounded by astilbe bushes in bloom, flowers rose, red and white. Beyond the gate there were large trees, a pagoda and some pointed roofs.

'There it is.' Shuin smiled. 'Awamorishouma-in.'

'Thank you, Zhou Shuin-san,' Watanuki said.

'You're welcome,' Shuin said.

'It is a lovely temple,' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Shuin smiled.

'Oyasumi nasai,' Watanuki said.

'Oyasumi nasai,' Shuin answered.

'Oyasumi nasai,' Doumeki said.

Shuin bowed, turned and left.

***************************

Watanuki and Doumeki walked through the gate. Beyond the gate was a beautiful Japanese garden with maples, bamboos, pines, cherry trees, azaleas, camellias, peonies, hydrangeas, astilbes, mallows, sweet peas, clematises, roses, boxes, junipers, irises, cryptomerias and other plants.

They walked down a meandering path and came to a large beautiful hall. They came inside. Inside were a beautiful statue of Kannon and beautiful murals of landscapes.

'Wow,' Watanuki said.

They exited the great hall and walked down a path again. After some time they came to another large hall. They entered the hall. It was a lecture hall. They went out and walked again. They came to another building. They went inside. It was a residential building, many rooms with tokonoma, tansu, hibachi, small tables and vases. There were beautiful murals on the fusuma.

'So this is the abbot's residence,' Doumeki said.

'Yeah,' Watanuki said. 'Nice.'

In one room there were a mizuya (dresser), a chatansu (tea dresser) and a kusuri-tansu (cupboard for medicines) with many handles for which kusuri-tansu are called 'hundred-eyed.'

Hey, it's 'hundred-eyed' like you,' Watanuki said, knowing that Doumeki's surname meant 'hundred-eyed spirit.'

'Whatever,' Doumeki grumbled.

'And this is presumably the kitchen,' Watanuki said.

'Yeah,' Doumeki said.

Watanuki looked into the chatansu and saw teapots, kettle, teacups, saucers and tea trays. Then he looked into the mizuya and saw bowls, trays, knives, chopsticks, pans, plates, zaru - bamboo mats for serving buckwheat and white flour noodles, tokkuri - bottles for sake, oteko - cups for sake, jubako - square boxes for different dishes, a wok, a suribachi - grinding bowl with a wooden pestle, a sushimaki sudare - bamboo rolling mat for making sushi, donabe - earthenware pots for cooking stews and simmered dishes, a tamago yaki nabe - rectangular pan for skillet frying omelets, porcelain cups with lids for making chawanmushi, egg custard. Then Watanuki looked into the kusuri-tansu. Inside were jars with herbs, pills and tinctures and pots with ointments.

Oh, there are some interesting things in there,' Doumeki said.

'You know about these things?' Watanuki asked, surprised.

'Yeah,' Doumeki said.

They left the abbot's residence and walked further. After some time they saw a small hall. They went inside. It was another residential building. They left it, walked on and saw a tall, slender pagoda. They went inside and saw ancient artifacts and scrolls. They went out and walked on, and came to a library like the one at Doumeki's temple.

'A good place,' Doumeki said.

Watanuki nodded.

***************************

Watanuki and Doumeki returned to the abbot's residence. Watanuki searched in the mizuya some more. There were tea, miso pickles, rice, nori and sake. Watanuki took two bowls, a tray, two sakazuki, a bottle of sake and a jar with miso pickles and put them on the table. He put some miso pickles in both bowls, then put the bowls, the sakazuki and the bottle of sake on the tray and then put the jar with pickles back into the mizuya. Then Watanuki took the tray and carried it to another room and put on the table there. Doumeki followed Watanuki to another room. Then they both sat down at the table. Watanuki poured sake into the sakazuki.

'Kanpai!' Watanuki and Doumeki said and sipped their sake.

***************************

After they finished eating, Watanuki said:

'Well, we must choose our rooms.'

'Yeah,' Doumeki said.

They rose and walked about the house. Watanuki looked in the tansu - there were many kimono, haori, hakama, obi, tabi and other clothes and many futons.

'Well, what room do you like?' Watanuki asked.

'That one to the right, in the middle of the right side, with the view to the maple,' Doumeki said. 'And you?'

'The one in the corner, to the left side,' Watanuki said. 'The one that looks to the hydrangea.'

'Okay.' Doumeki nodded.

***************************

Watanuki strolled about the gardens a bit, then went to his room, took a futon out of the tansu, spread it on the floor, undressed, folded his clothes neatly and put them in the tansu, then got into the futon and fell asleep.

***************************

The next morning Watanuki woke, remembered where he was, rose, looked in the tansu and chose a white kimono with a red sinuous stream and irises around it, a juban and a pair of tabi and donned them. Then he folded his futon and put it in the tansu. Then he went to the kitchen. He took out a pan, the sushimaki sudare, jars with pickles, bag with rice, a knife and a sheet of nori. Then he took the pan and went outside, to the place where the well was. He put the pan on the ground near the well and turned the well winch till the bucket came down, then turned it again till the bucket came up again full with water. He scooped water with the pan and went back to the kitchen. There he put the pan on the hibachi. He poured some water into a bowl, washed the rice thoroughly, then put the rice into the pan, took a flint out of the mizuya and stroke fire, then set fire to the coal in the hibachi. Then he cut some of the pickled vegetables and mushrooms. When the rice boiled, he took the pan off the fire, he put nori, some rice and some vegetables and mushrooms on the sudare and rolled the sudare, and formed round, triangle and straw sack shaped balls from some of the rice, put some minced umeboshi into some of the balls and wrapped them with nori. Then he went out, walked through the gardens and went beyond the gate. He went into the woods and gathered some bamboo shoots and shiitake and plucked some bamboo leaves and returned home. There he peeled the bamboo shoots and shiitake and made some rolls with them too and made some sushi wrapped in bamboo leaves. Then he cut the rolls into neat sushi. He put the knife, the sudare, bag with rice and jars with pickles away, took out a tray and put the sushi and the onigiri on it, then took the kettle, went to the well, filled the kettle with water, returned, put the kettle on the hibachi, took out the teapot and a jar with tea, waited when the kettle boiled, poured water from the kettle into the teapot and poured some tea into the water. Then he went outside and plucked some cherry leaves and put them into the teapot. At that point Doumeki came in and said, 'Ohayou.'

'Ohayou,' Watanuki said.

'I see you made tea, onigiri and sushi,' Doumeki said.

'And you overslept!' Watanuki said.

Doumeki ignored him.

Watanuki took out two teacups, poured tea into them and put them on the tray with the sushi and the onigiri.

'Itadakimasu,' they both said and started to eat.

'Oh, this is sakura yu,' Doumeki said. 'And you put shiitake and bamboo shoots into sushi and made sasamaki zushi.'

'Say thanks at least!' Watanuki said.

They ate and then said, 'Gochisousama.' Then Watanuki rose.

'I'll go water the flowers,' he said.

'Okay. I'll be reading,' Doumeki said.

Watanuki nodded and went out. He went to the well and filled a watering pot lying there with water. Then he went through the gardens and beyond the gate and started watering the astilbes.

Suddenly he saw that a mahogany palanquin with rose curtains, carried by six servants, entered the glade. It approached the gate and stopped. The servants lowered the palanquin.


	2. Chapter 2

I can't believe I forgot to put a disclaimer! Of course, xxxHolic belongs to the CLAMP ladies who are wonderful artists. Any characters from other CLAMP works who may appear in this story belong also to CLAMP. You know how CLAMP themselves love crossovers, and it's one of the reasons I love CLAMP!

* * *

The curtains opened, and out stepped a tall, slender young woman with long black hair and large dark eyes, in several layers of long wide open robes, the upper layer dark blue, the rest light green, and white kimono and red hakama under the robes. The young woman gave her hand to someone in the palanquin, and another, younger girl came out, she looked very much like the first, but her robes were yellow and purple. And there was a spirit snake coiled around her.

'So Awamorishouma-in isn't deserted any more,' the older girl said. 'Are you the priest?'

Watanuki made a deep bow.

'One of them. I'm Watanuki Kimihiro. And my friend Doumeki Shizuka is the abbot.'

'I'm Minamoto no Asagao, and this is my younger sister Minamoto no Hirugao. Pleased to meet you, Watanuki-san.'

'Pleased to meet you too.'

'We always visit this temple when we travel here,' Lady Asagao said. 'It's so beautiful! It's good that it isn't empty any more.'

'We'll take care of it,' Watanuki said firmly.

'I'm sure you will,' Lady Asagao smiled.

'Please come in,' Watanuki said.

'Thank you,' Lady Asagao said.

* * *

Watanuki led Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao down the path to the abbot's residence. The servants with the palanquin followed.

'Doumekiiiiii!!!' Watanuki shouted. 'We have guests!'

Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao smiled.

Watanuki left the watering pot in the grass outside and led Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao into the house.

Doumeki came to meet them.

'Doumeki Shizuka,' he said with a deep bow.

Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao smiled.

'Minamoto no Asagao, and this is my younger sister Minamoto no Hirugao.'

'Pleased to meet you,' Doumeki said. 'You have beautiful names.'

'Thank you, Doumeki-san,' Lady Asagao said.

Doumeki looked at the spirit snake around Lady Hirugao and then at Watanuki.

Watanuki nodded.

'Please sit down,' Watanuki said. 'I'll see about the food.'

Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao nodded. They sat down and Doumeki sat down beside them.

* * *

Some time later Watanuki returned, carrying a tray with sushi, onigiri, four cups of sakura yu and two pairs of chopsticks. He put the tray down and sat down himself.

'I apologize that the meal is poor, we came here recently,' he said.

Lady Asagao took a sushi with her chopsticks, ate it and sipped some sakura yu.

'Oh, this isn't poor at all,' she said. 'Was it you who made this, Watanuki-san?'

'Yes.' Watanuki blushed.

'Doumeki-san is fortunate to have you,' Lady Asagao said.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'What do you mean yes!?' Watanuki shouted.

Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao smiled.

'Hirugao-chan, how are you?' Lady Asagao asked.

'Rather well, thank you, oneesan,' Lady Hirugao said.

'Hirugao-chan feels feeble, no one knows why,' Lady Asagao explained.

Watanuki and Doumeki looked at each other.

'When did you settle here?' Lady Asagao asked.

'Recently,' Watanuki said. 'We were traveling, and people that live near told us about this temple.'

'And how do you like it here?' Lady Asagao asked.

'Very much.' Watanuki smiled. 'It's beautiful here.'

'Where are you from?' Lady Asagao asked.

'A prosperous town called Tokyo,' Watanuki answered.

'It's good that Yamato people live in this temple again, and such fine young men, too!' Lady Asagao said.

Watanuki blushed.

'You two seem very close,' Lady Hirugao said.

Watanuki sighed.

'Have you visited the South before?' Lady Asagao asked.

'No,' Watanuki said.

'How do you like the South?' Lady Asagao asked.

'It's wonderful here.' Watanuki smiled.

'So it is.' Lady Asagao smiled.

'Do you know each other long?' Lady Hirugao asked.

'Several years,' Watanuki said. 'We went to school together.'

'Went to school together and now are inseparable.' Lady Hirugao smiled. 'How wonderful!'

Lady Asagao smiled too.

They finished eating by that time. Watanuki took a deep breath and asked Lady Asagao:

'Asagao-sama, you say that Hirugao-sama feels feeble. Did she feel feeble all her life?'

'No,' Lady Asagao said.

'Asagao-sama, there's a spirit snake coiled around Hirugao-sama,' Watanuki said gently. 'I think it feeds on her ki.'

Doumeki nodded.

'I think so too. I can see it too.'

'Oh!' Lady Asagao said.

'Don't worry, Asagao-sama, Doumeki can exorcise it,' Watanuki said.

Doumeki nodded.

'A-all right,' Lady Asagao said.

Doumeki went out to get his bow.

'Don't worry, Hirugao-sama,' Watanuki said. 'Everything will be all right.'

Lady Hirugao nodded shyly.

Doumeki returned carrying his bow.

'Now, Hirugao-sama, Doumeki will have to shoot the snake. But don't worry - he never misses. He was the best archer in our neighborhood. He was winning all the competitions, girls admired him for this.' Watanuki smiled.

Lady Hirugao smiled shyly.

Doumeki stood right across Lady Hirugao, drew the bowstring, aimed carefully at the snake's head and shot. The white arrow of ki flew straight and hit the snake's head. The snake dissolved.

'Oh, I feel all right now,' Lady Hirugao smiled.

'Hirugao-chan!' Lady Asagao said. 'Doumeki-san, Watanuki-san, thank you! I shall donate a lot to your temple!'

'Thank you, Asagao-sama.' Watanuki bowed deeply.

'I'll tell Minoru-san about this,' Lady Asagao said. 'Maybe he can get help here.'

'Yes!' Lady Hirugao said.

'Who is he?' Watanuki asked.

'Fujiwara no Minoru-san is Hirugao-chan's fiance,' Lady Asagao explained. 'He suffers from a strange condition too.'

'We'll be glad to help him,' Watanuki said.

'Do you play mahjong?' Lady Asagao asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'Excellent!' Lady Asagao said. 'There are four of us, as needed.'

'But I'm only a novice in mahjong,' Watanuki said.

'If you don't play, you'll never learn,' Doumeki said.

'But we don't have a mahjong set,' Watanuki said.

'We have,' Lady Asagao said. 'Please look in our palanquin, Watanuki-san.'

Watanuki went out and looked in the palanquin lying outside and found a box with mahjong tiles. He brought it back inside.

'Excellent,' Lady Asagao said.

She took the box, put it on the floor, opened it, took the tiles out and turned the box so that it formed a board.

'Obviously, we won't play for money,' Lady Asagao said. 'Instead the one who loses will have to answer a question honestly.'

Watanuki gulped.

'Do you know what Hong Kong rules are?' Doumeki asked.

'Yes,' Lady Asagao said.

'Excellent,' Doumeki said. 'Let's play by Hong Kong rules then.'

'All right,' Lady Asagao said.

'What are Hong Kong rules?' Watanuki asked.

'Classic rules,' Doumeki said. 'They are simpler.'

'Okay then,' Watanuki said.

They shuffled the tiles. Then Lady Asagao threw dice. She got five. Then Lady Hirugao threw dice. She got three. Then Doumeki threw dice. He got seven. Then Watanuki threw dice. He got two.

'Well, Doumeki-san, you are the East,' Lady Asagao said.

Doumeki nodded.

'Then Hirugao-chan is South, I am West, and Watanuki-san is North,' Lady Asagao said.

Doumeki then built a row of tiles in front of him - seventeen tiles long and two tiles high. Others did the same. Then Doumeki threw three dice. He got nine. He counted counterclockwise, starting with himself as one. Nine was him again, so he took nine tiles from the right edge of his wall and shifted them to the right. Then he took four tiles to the left. Lady Hirugao also took four tiles to the left, and so did the others, until each of them had a hand of thirteen tiles.

Watanuki looked at his hand - he had three Six Bamboos, two Three Circles, two Character Eights, two Green Dragons, three North Winds and one East Wind - a promising hand. Now if only the right tiles would come! He watched discards.

'Red Dragon,' Lady Hirugao announced, when her turn came.

'Pon,' Doumeki said, took the tile and put it in front of himself, took two similar tiles from his hand and put them alongside with the first tile.

'Three Circles,' Lady Asagao announced after some time.

'Pon!' Watanuki exclaimed, took the tile and composed a pung.

'South Wind,' Doumeki announced.

'Kan!' Lady Hirugao said merrily, took the tile and three from her hand and put them together.

'Damn, melded Kong!' Watanuki said. Lady Hirugao smiled.

'Eight Bamboos.'

'Chi,' Lady Asagao said, took the tile and two from her hand - Seven Bamboos and Nine Bamboos - and put them together.

'Seven Circles,' Doumeki said.

'Pon!' Lady Hirugao said and composed a pung.

'Character Nine,' Lady Asagao said.

'Pon,' Doumeki said and composed a pung.

'White Dragon,' Watanuki said.

'Pon,' Lady Asagao said and composed a pung.

Damn, why there is no Character Eight or Green Dragon either in the discards or the tiles I draw from the wall, Watanuki thought.

'One Bamboo,' Lady Hirugao said.

'Pon,' Doumeki said and composed a pung.

'Nine Circles,' Lady Asagao said.

'Pon!' Lady Hirugao said and composed a pung.

'One Circle,' Watanuki said.

'Ron,' Doumeki said and revealed his hand - pung of Red Dragon, pung of Character Nine, pung of One Bamboo, pung of One Circle and a pair of Character Two.

'Pung of Dragon, three pungs of terminals, pung hand and the Moon from the Bottom of the Sea!' Lady Asagao exclaimed.

'What's the Moon from the Bottom of the Sea?' Watanuki asked.

'When the tile that completes your hand is One Circle,' Doumeki said. 'See, the One Circle tile has a large blue circle on it. It's a Chinese yaku.'

'Well, it's not MY hand, it's YOURS!' Watanuki said.

Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao smiled.

Lady Hirugao revealed her hand - kong of South Wind, pung of Seven Circles, pung of Nine Circles, Character Four, Character Five, two East Winds and Three Bamboos.

'Kong of Wind, pung of terminals and pair of Prevailing Wind,' Lady Asagao said. 'Not bad.'

She revealed her own hand - chi of Seven Bamboos, Eight Bamboos and Nine Bamboos, pung of White Dragon, concealed pung of Character One, two Four Bamboos, Eight Circles, Character Six and Two Circles.

'Pung of Dragon and pung of terminals,' Doumeki said.

Then Watanuki revealed his hand - pung of Three Circles, concealed pung of Six Bamboos, concealed pung of North Wind, two Character Eights, two Green Dragons and One Circle.

'Pung of Wind and pair of Dragons,' Lady Hirugao said. 'If you continue like this, Watanuki-san, you'll lose!'

'Well, it's not my fault the right tiles don't come to me!' Watanuki said.

'Well, the deal doesn't pass,' Lady Asagao said. 'You remain the East, Doumeki-san.'

Doumeki nodded.

* * *

Watanuki played with variable success. All four of them had their turn as the dealer, and then they entered the next round, sometimes there were draws and redeals, Round East changed to Round South, then to Round West and Round North. In the end, Lady Hirugao had the most points, Doumeki came in second, Lady Asagao third, and Watanuki was in the last place.

'So, Watanuki-san, you lost,' Lady Hirugao said.

Watanuki blushed.

'You must answer honestly, Watanuki-san,' Lady Hirugao said.

'Y-yes,' Watanuki said.

'Hmm, let's see,' Lady Hirugao said.

Watanuki held his breath.

'Watanuki-san, are you Doumeki-san's lover?' Lady Hirugao asked.

'NO!!!' Watanuki said.

'No? I thought you were,' Lady Hirugao said. 'You get along so well!'

'Well, I am not,' Watanuki said.

'You are really close friends then,' Lady Hirugao said.

Watanuki sighed.

* * *

'You must have seen many ghosts,' Lady Asagao said.

'Yeah,' Watanuki said. 'And Doumeki's grandfather was a powerful priest, he saw a lot of ghosts too.'

'Let's play Hyaku Monogatari,' Lady Asagao said.

'What?' Watanuki said.

'This temple was abandoned for a long time, so there are no ghosts here,' Doumeki said.

'Oh, alright then,' Watanuki said.

'Bring sake and pickles,' Doumeki said.

'Don't order me!' Watanuki said, but went to the kitchen.

He brought a tray with four cups of sake and four saucers with pickles, put it on the floor and sat down near Doumeki, Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao.

'This story was told to me by Taira no Natsuko-san, who serves like me at the Court,' Lady Asagao said. 'She had a relative named Taira no Fumi-san, a young, beautiful and gentle lady. Fumi-san was engaged to a handsome and brave young man called Sugawara no Takanori-san. They were deeply in love. But Fumi-san died of pneumonia before they married. Takanori-san grieved very much, but one day Fumi-san's spirit appeared before him. She was as beautiful as she was in life, and she said, 'Don't be so sad, Takanori-san. I love you, and I don't want you to be sad.' She disappeared, and Takanori-san recovered and later fell in love again and married happily.'

'How beautiful!' Lady Hirugao said.

Watanuki and Doumeki nodded.

'This story was told to me by my fiance, Fujiwara no Minoru-san,' Lady Hirugao said. 'Once there was a cruel daimyo, and he took a castle named Umehara and wanted to put all its inhabitants to death. But then a spirit in full armor and with a spear appeared and fought with the daimyo. He killed the daimyo, and disappeared. The daimyo's men then gave up, because they served him only out of fear. Later the inhabitants of the castle discovered that the spirit was looking exactly like the portrait of the founder of the castle, Konoe no Ryusuke-san. He was a powerful warrior in his life, and he came to save his people in time of need!'

'Amazing!' Watanuki said.

Lady Asagao and Doumeki nodded.

'This was told to me by my paternal grandfather, Doumeki Haruka-san,' Doumeki said. 'Once he was taking a stroll, and happened to look up to the sky, and suddenly saw a bird that was as large as a mountain and cast a huge shadow to the ground, in fact. But nobody around him seemed to notice it. Thankfully, it just flew overhead and didn't try to harm any people. It seems it just was a harmless spirit bird.'

'It must be amazing to see all those things,' Lady Asagao said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

Doumeki nodded.

'Was Haruka-san the one you inherited your powers from, Doumeki-san?' Lady Asagao asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'He even looks exactly like Haruka-san!' Watanuki said.

'You knew him?' Lady Asagao asked.

'I know him.' Watanuki smiled. 'His spirit. He likes to chat with me. I like to chat with him too. He's much more agreeable than this oaf here. For some reason, he looks young, like Doumeki now. The first time I saw him I thought he was Doumeki.'

'Did he die young?' Lady Hirugao asked.

'Rather young, yes,' Doumeki said.

'That explains it,' Lady Asagao said.

'Oh, he did?' Watanuki said.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'Do you know how I met Haruka-san?' Watanuki said. 'Once I gave cookies I made to a girl I went to school with called Kunogi Himawari-chan, a very sweet girl. She told me she had a nightmare where she had a feeling someone was watching her. Later Doumeki said he had a dream about his grandfather and his horse. Also he said that Himawari-chan gave some of my cookies to him. In the evening I felt that someone was watching me. It turned that it was a large ayakashi. It pursued me and caught me and nearly ate me when Doumeki on a white horse appeared and shot it. Then I saw my friend, Ichihara Yuuko-san. She said that I bought both Himawari-chan's and Doumeki's dreams when I gave my cookies to Himawari-chan. I was lucky that Himawari-chan gave some of my cookies to Doumeki, because if I hadn't, ayakashi from her dream would eat me. But Doumeki's grandfather saved me. Later he started to appear in my dreams, and I learned his name was Doumeki Haruka-san.'

'Most unusual,' Lady Asagao said. Lady Hirugao nodded.

* * *

They played long into the night. Then Watanuki showed Lady Hirugao and Lady Asagao to the rooms he thought were the best for them, made the futons for them, bade them good night and went to sleep himself.

* * *

At night he awoke because he wanted to drink. He went to the well. When he was walking through the garden, he suddenly saw a being with long tusks and large eyes showing out of very long mane, so long that only the mane could be seen.

Watanuki froze.

'Don't be afraid, I will not harm you,' the creature said in a deep voice.

'Y-you won't?' Watanuki said.

'I know that you are a very powerful seer, and many spirits want to devour you, but I am a guardian spirit.'

'A guardian spirit?'

'I am the guardian of this temple. I guard this temple and its priests.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'My kind is called the otoroshi. Have you never seen ones like me?'

Watanuki shook his head.

'You are so young,' the otoroshi said.

Watanuki blushed.

'You and your friend are good people and take good care of the temple, especially you.'

Watanuki blushed again.

'It's good that this temple is no longer abandoned,' the otoroshi said. 'I hope we shall become good friends.'

'So do I,' Watanuki said.

'My name is Kagemaru,' the otoroshi said.

'I am Watanuki Kimihiro.' Watanuki bowed.

'You are famous in the spirit world, Watanuki-kun,' Kagemaru said. 'How you saved Zashiki-Warashi from Jorogumo, and the incident at the Ghost Parade, and many other things. And the other youth that is always with you, he is the same one that is with you here. At the Ghost Parade you even were holding each other's hands!'

'Two humans must hold the Chinese lantern like this so that the spirits won't notice they are humans,' Watanuki explained.

'Oh,' Kagemaru said.

'They nearly killed us when we parted hands.'

'How did you like the nectar of the Tree, Watanuki-kun?'

'It was wonderful,' Watanuki said.

'I was there, you know, and saw you a bit. You look so good together!'

Watanuki groaned.

'But I could never imagine you will be the priests in my temple.'

'I've never heard of this place.' Watanuki smiled.

'You are from another dimension, aren't you?'

'Yes. I'm from Tokyo in Japan on Earth.'

'And so is Doumeki-kun?'

'Yes.'

'Do you know Zashiki Warashi likes you?'

'Yes.' Watanuki blushed.

'She is a beautiful and sweet girl.'

'I know. But I don't like her that way.'

'I see.'

'How long do you live here?'

'Five hundred years.'

'Oh.'

'Who is that powerful kitsune that is often seen with you?'

'He's a kudagitsune. I named him Mugetsu.' Watanuki smiled.

'Moonless night?'

'Yes, because he appears and disappears suddenly.'

'A good name.'

'I tried my best.' Watanuki smiled.

'I heard Jorogumo ate your eye. But you have both eyes, and one is brown.'

'Doumeki gave half of his eye to me.'

'Really? You know, in one dimension it's a custom among demons to give half of your eye to your beloved.'

'R-really?'

'Yes. Not so long ago there was a huge uproar in that dimension because the Crown Prince of Hell, Kokuyou-sama, gave half of his eye to the Archangel of Wind, Hisui-sama, and eloped with him to the land of humans. And later Hisui-sama's favorite disciple and the purest angel, Kohaku-san, went to search for Hisui-sama and fell in love with a human, Kudou Shuuichirou-san. Later Shuuichirou-san suddenly died, but Kohaku-san waited a hundred years for Shuuichirou-san to be reincarnated. Both couples now live happily in the land of humans.'

'Angels fall in love with demons and humans?' Watanuki blinked.

'Love knows no boundaries, Watanuki-kun.'

'Do you know the Witch of Dimensions, Kagemaru-san?'

'Of course!'

'Please go to her and tell her where we are and that we are all right.'

'I will. You were her apprentice, right?'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'She is a fabulous woman.'

'Yes, she is.' Watanuki smiled.

'Thank you for curing Hirugao-sama. Asagao-sama and Hirugao-sama care about this temple.'

'It's nothing. Hirugao-sama needed help, so we helped her.'

'You are a good boy, Watanuki-kun.'

Watanuki blushed.

'You made friends with the Zhou family, right? I saw Shuin-chan seeing you off at the gate.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'They were the first people we met here. They told us about Awamorishouma-in.'

'It's good. They are good people, and they are our neighbors.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'Oyasumi nasai, Watanuki-kun.'

'Oyasumi nasai, Kagemaru-san.'

Kagemaru disappeared, and Watanuki proceeded to go to the well.

* * *

The next morning Watanuki and Doumeki were having breakfast alone. Their guests were sleeping late. Suddenly there was a shimmer in the air and Kagemaru appeared.

'Ohayou gozaimasu, Kagemaru-san,' Watanuki said.

'Ohayou, Watanuki-kun,' Kagemaru said.

'Is this the otoroshi of this temple?' Doumeki said, completely unsurprised.

'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'This is Kagemaru-san. Kagemaru-san, this is Doumeki Shizuka.'

'No honorific?' Kagemaru said with a smile in his voice.

Watanuki sighed.

Kagemaru moved to the table and sat down with them. Watanuki went and got third cup of tea.

'How did you meet?' Doumeki asked.

'Last night, I went to drink, and Kagemaru-san just was there in the garden. He knows a lot about us. And he promised to go to Yuuko-san and tell her where we were. Did you see her, Kagemaru-san?'

'Yes. She said she will come here when our guests leave.'

'She probably just had too much sake and has a hangover again,' Watanuki said. 'I wonder, who'll get hangover medicine for her without me there?'

'She likes sake?' Kagemaru said.

'Yes, very much,' Watanuki said.

A hairy paw with curved claws appeared out of Kagemaru's mane and took an onigiri and put it somewhere into Kagemaru's mane, then appeared again, took a cup of tea and carried it to the mane.

'Oh, sakura yu!' Kagemaru said.'You are a very good cook, Watanuki-kun.

Watanuki blushed.

'Mukyuu Kannon-ji had never seen a better cook,' Kagemaru said.

'Mukyuu Kannon-ji?' Watanuki asked.

'The official name of this temple, idiot,' Doumeki said. 'It's on the gate.'

'Well, excuse me if I thought of other matters back then!' Watanuki said.

Kagemaru chuckled.

'Ano, Kagemaru-san, do you know where is the nearest market here?' Watanuki asked.

'Of course,' Kagemaru said. 'It's in the town of Anzhou. I'll show you.'

'Thank you. I need to buy more food,' Watanuki said.

'And I want to buy some arrows,' Doumeki said. 'There are surely not only spirits but also robbers here.'

'Yes,' Kagemaru said.

'Figures,' Doumeki said.

'You'll see, Kagemaru-san, what I can do with more variety of food,' Watanuki said.

'I am sure you shall do something wonderful, Watanuki-kun,' Kagemaru said.

'I'll surprise you!' Watanuki smiled.

'You like it here at Awamorishouma-in, do you not, Watanuki-kun?' Kagemaru asked.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'You too, Doumeki-kun?' Kagemaru asked.

Doumeki nodded.

* * *

Later Watanuki and Doumeki were seeing Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao off. Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao went to the main hall, and Lady Asagao reached her hand into her robes, took out two strings of hundred coins and put them into the box for donations.

'Th-thank you, Asagao-sama!' Watanuki exclaimed. 'That's very generous of you!'

'It's nothing.' Lady Asagao smiled. 'You helped Hirugao-chan.'

Then Watanuki and Doumeki walked Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao to the gate. Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao climbed into their palanquin.

'Please come back again!' Watanuki said.

'We will.' Lady Asagao smiled. 'This temple is lovely, and with priests like you it is even better.'

'Thank you.' Watanuki blushed.

The palanquin started moving. Watanuki waved his hand till the palanquin disappeared among the bamboos.

* * *

When Watanuki, Doumeki and Kagemaru were having lunch, air shimmered and Yuuko appeared. She was wearing a silk crimson cheongsam embroidered with golden butterflies and with golden border, and her hair was in a Chinese knot with gold butterfly hairpins.

'Yuuko-san!' Watanuki said.

'Watanuki, Doumeki.' Yuuko smiled. 'You look like a young married couple!'

Watanuki groaned.

'Yuuko-chan,' Kagemaru said.

'Kagemaru-san.' Yuuko smiled.

Yuuko sat down at the table. Watanuki went and got a pair of chopsticks and a cup of tea for her. Yuuko took a sasazushi with her chopsticks, ate it and sipped her tea.

'Oh, wonderful sakura yu! And sushi too. You're the best cook in the universe, Watanuki!'

Watanuki blushed.

'Yuuko-san, about this place...'

'Some strong magic got you both here,' Yuuko said. 'And now it seems you both can't leave this dimension. What is strange, I can't determine whose magic it is.'

'What?' Watanuki said.

'Yes. So it seems you stay here for now,' Yuuko said.

'I see,' Watanuki said.

'You don't seem sad.' Yuuko smiled.

'It's a good place,' Watanuki said.

'You two are so cozy here,' Yuuko said. 'And you've got new friends.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'This nice Chinese family, the Zhous, who invited us to their house and told us about this place. And the nice sisters, Minamoto, who visited us and kept us company. And of course Kagemaru-san, though I was scared at first when I saw him - and who wouldn't be in my place?'

'Yes.' Kagemaru chuckled. 'I do look imposing, but I am a friend to the priests of this temple and their friends, as long as they are good people.'

'Oh, Watanuki and Doumeki are good people all right.' Yuuko smiled.

'I know,' Kagemaru said.

'Now that we know Kagemaru-san is living here also, we three can play three-player mahjong,' Doumeki said.

'Three-player mahjong? I thought mahjong was for four people,' Watanuki said.

'No, there is three-player mahjong too,' Doumeki said. 'In it there is no chow and no North round, and no tiles two to eight in the Characters suit. The rest is the same.'

'I'll probably be the West, then,' Watanuki grumbled. 'Four is the first character of my name, after all.'

'Really?' Kagemaru asked.

'My surname is written as 'April First',' Watanuki explained.

'I see the connection, but it is most unusual,' Kagemaru said.

'Tell me about it,' Watanuki snorted. 'Moreover, April First is my birthday.'

'Very strange,' Kagemaru said.

'My Watanuki is unusual.' Yuuko smiled.

'Come to visit us often, Yuuko-san,' Watanuki said. 'And bring Himawari-chan, Tanpopo, Mugetsu, Mokona and Kohane-chan with you.'

'Of course.' Yuuko smiled.

'Who is Tanpopo?' Kagemaru asked.

'A magic bird that Himawari-chan has.' Watanuki smiled. 'Himawari-chan brings bad luck to other people, and Tanpopo is unaffected by that. Tanpopo hatched from a magic egg Yuuko-san gave to me. Himawari-chan asked me to name him, and I named him Tanpopo, because he is yellow.'

'And who is Kohane-chan?'

'Tsuyuri Kohane-chan is a girl who is a seer like me,' Watanuki said. 'Kohane-chan's surname is written 'May Third.'

'And Kohane means 'little feather',' Kagemaru said. 'A lovely name.'

'You already know the black manjuu?' Watanuki asked.

'Mokona-chan? Yes.' Kagemaru chuckled.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi! Here's a new chapter, a Christmas and New Year present for all of you! Thanks to everyone who wrote reviews and added my story to story tracker and favorites! Your attention means a lot to me!

* * *

Later, Watanuki, Doumeki and Kagemaru left for the market. They passed through the massive gate and strolled in the bamboo wood.

'Make curried fish,' Doumeki said.

'What??? This is China and you want curried fish?' Watanuki shouted. 'Do they even have curry here???'

'If they don't, I'm sure you can compose it,' Doumeki said calmly.

'Who do you think I am - a wizard!?' Watanuki shouted.

Kagemaru chuckled.

'There IS curry here, Watanuki-kun.'

'You're lucky,' Watanuki muttered. 'No way in hell would I make curry for you!'

* * *

Some time later in their path appeared what seemed to be a kitsune, white, slender, with five tails.

'Ohayou, Shirayuki,' Kagemaru said.

'Ohayou, Kagemaru,' the being said.

'Who are your friends?' Shirayuki asked.

'Doumeki Shizuka-kun and Watanuki Kimihiro-kun,' Kagemaru answered. 'The new priests of Awamorishouma-in.'

'Oh, so Awamorishouma-in is no longer abandoned? It's good,' Shirayuki said.

'Yes,' Kagemaru said. 'Doumeki-kun, Watanuki-kun, this is Shirayuki, the houkou of this forest.'

Doumeki nodded.

'Houkou? I thought you were a kitsune, Shirayuki-san,' Watanuki said.

'We are related to kitsune. But we are forest spirits,' Shirayuki said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Where are you going to?' Shirayuki asked.

'To the market, to buy some food,' Watanuki said.

'Watanuki-kun is a very good cook,' Kagemaru said.

'Really? You're so young,' Shirayuki said. 'I must come to visit you.'

Watanuki blushed.

'I'll go with you to the edge of the forest,' Shirayuki said.

'All right,' Watanuki said.

The four of them walked through the forest together.

'So you're a forest spirit, Shirayuki-san?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes. Each of a houkou's tails is attuned to one element - fire, water, wood, earth and metal. If a houkou is angry, he can make a disaster, using his tails,' Doumeki said.

'Then I'll try not to make you angry, Shirayuki-san.' Watanuki smiled.

'I am not easily angered, Watanuki-kun.' Shirayuki smiled.

'Unlike this idiot here,' Doumeki said.

'SHUT UP!!!' Watanuki shouted.

'I saw you both at the Ghost Parade,' Shirayuki said. 'You were holding hands. Are you lovers or married?'

'I'm never going to hear an end of this!' Watanuki said.

'We are just friends,' Doumeki said.

'You must be very close friends then,' Shirayuki said.

Watanuki sighed.

'Do you play mahjong, Shirayuki-san?' Doumeki asked.

'Yes. Why?' Shirayuki asked.

'Come play mahjong with us three,' Doumeki said.

'Gladly,' Shirayuki said.

'Yes,' Kagemaru chuckled.

'Now we can play usual mahjong, as well as three-player mahjong,' Doumeki said.

'Are you an archer, Doumeki-kun?' Shirayuki asked, looking at the bow that Doumeki carried.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'He is a very good archer,' Watanuki said.

'But I don't see any arrows,' Shirayuki said.

'Doumeki can use his ki instead of an arrow,' Watanuki said.

'Really? It's amazing,' Shirayuki said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'When did you arrive here?' Shirayuki asked.

'The day after yesterday.' Watanuki blushed.

'You're very new here.' Shirayuki smiled.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

* * *

Eventually they reached the edge of the forest.

'Well, see you later, Watanuki-kun, Doumeki-kun, Kagemaru,' Shirayuki said, waving his tails.

'See you later, Shirayuki-san.' Watanuki smiled.

'See you later, Shirayuki,' Kagemaru said.

Doumeki nodded.

Shirayuki turned and retired into the forest, waving his tails.

Watanuki, Doumeki and Kagemaru continued their way. They passed meadows, fields, clusters of trees and scarce houses. At last they came to a town, surrounded by a wall. They went through a gate and into little streets between walled houses with gates. At last they came to a square with a maze of stalls.

* * *

There were all kinds of things in the market - fruit, vegetables, baked goods, dairy produce, meat, fish, spice, clothes, footwear, tableware, furniture, weapons, jewelry, carpets, lamps, musical instruments, books, medicines. There were also a lot of fortunetellers. All the merchants praised their goods loudly. Watanuki, disregarding the praise, bought a chicken, a catfish, shrimps, some onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, celery, dill, parsley, coriander, spinach, cabbage, beefsteak plant, adzuki beans, curry, ginger, wasabi, kanten, konnyaku, wakame, hijiki, konbu, natto, pepper, an, miso, tofu, flour, katsuo-bushi, lard, eggs, milk, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil.

'Now I'll buy arrows,' Doumeki said. Watanuki nodded.

They came to a stall selling weapons.

'Stay here,' Doumeki ordered.

'Why you!...' Watanuki said but stayed near.

Next to the stall selling weapons was a jeweler. Watanuki looked at the jewelry. There were beautiful rings, bracelets, anklets, beads, necklaces, earrings, pendants of gold and silver with precious stones and semiprecious stones. But one ring was strange, though beautiful. It was of a dark shining stone, with floral ornament in gold, and had a semicircular projection on one side.

'Excuse me, but what is this ring?' Watanuki asked.

'Oh, this is a thumb ring for archers,' the jeweler said. 'It protects the thumb from the impact of the bowstring and helps to send arrow further. It's black jade.'

'For archers?' Watanuki said and looked at Doumeki, who was buying arrows. 'How do you think, will it fit him over there?'

The jeweler looked at Doumeki and smiled.

'I think it will.'

'I'll buy it, then,' Watanuki said.

* * *

Watanuki paid for the ring and picked it from the counter. Then he waited for Doumeki.

'I bought it for you. How do you wear it?'

At last Doumeki came up to Watanuki, a quiver full of arrows on his back. Watanuki showed the ring to him.

Doumeki looked at the ring and said:

'Broad side up.'

Watanuki slipped the ring on Doumeki's right thumb. The semicircular projection was now covering his thumb pad.

'In kyuudo, the Mongolian release is practiced, when one draws the bowstring by hooking one's thumb around it, like this,' Doumeki said and curled his middle finger, ring finger and little finger into a fist, put his thumb on his middle finger and fixed it with his index finger. Then he hooked his thumb around the bowstring, took the bow in his left hand, drew the bowstring and then released it. The bowstring hit his thumb. But the impact touched only the thumb ring.

'The Mongolian release is practiced in all of Asia,' Doumeki said.

'I see,' Watanuki said.

'See those large cylindrical rings, of silver, jade and glass? They're also thumb rings, but the kind you gave me is more comfortable,' Doumeki said. 'It's beautiful.'

Watanuki blushed.

'Your husband is very handsome.' The jeweler smiled. 'The ring suits him.'

The jeweler smiled.

'He's NOT my husband!!!' Watanuki shouted.

* * *

Watanuki, Doumeki and Kagemaru were walking away, when a voice called them.

'Young gentleman with different eyes, may I read your hand?'

Watanuki stopped and saw an old man with wrinkled face, long ear lobes, long white beard and white hair tied into a bun, in black Chinese robe embroidered with silver clouds, sitting on a mat near the jeweler's stall and the weapon merchant's stall.

'Are you a chiromancer?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes.' The old man smiled.

'Why do you want to read my hand?' Watanuki asked.

'You're powerful and unusual,' the old man said.

Watanuki blushed.

'Is that an otoroshi with you?'

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'Are you priests?'

'Yes, from Awamorishouma-in,' Watanuki said.

'So it's no longer deserted? That's good,' the old man said. 'And you're Yamato, too.'

'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'I'm Watanuki Kimihiro, and my friends are Doumeki Shizuka and Kagemaru-san.'

'My humble name is Zhuge Qing.'

'Zhuge is an ancient family of fortunetellers, descended from Zhuge Liang, the famous general of the Kingdom of Shu,' Doumeki said.

'Yes.' Mr. Zhuge smiled. 'Give me your right hand, Watanuki-san.'

Watanuki offered his pale delicate hand. Mr. Zhuge took it and looked attentively.

'Your Heaven Line, here, is very long,' Mr. Zhuge said, tracing the line going from the place under Watanuki's middle finger to the edge of his palm. 'It means you're ruled by emotions.'

'Ruled is not the word,' Doumeki said. 'He's a volcano.'

'And you're a rock!' Watanuki retorted.

Mr. Zhuge smiled.

'Your Line of Man is long also. You're intelligent.'

He traced the diagonal line going across Watanuki's hand.

'Your Earth Line is very long. You will have a long life.'

'But your Jade Column is short. You're unlucky.'

He traced the line going around the base of Watanuki's thumb.

He traced a small line going down from the base of Watanuki's middle finger.

Watanuki sighed.

'You have no Popularity Line - you're unpopular.'

'SHUT UP!!!'

'He is,' Doumeki said.

Mr. Zhuge smiled.

'You have the Accident Line - you had accidents.'

He traced a small vertical line at the base of Watanuki's middle finger.

'Yes.' Watanuki looked down.

'Your Sex Line is long and clear,' Mr. Zhuge said and traced a small line on the mount at the base of Watanuki's little finger. 'You will either marry or have a lasting union without marriage.'

Doumeki smirked.

'I would have thought you were married to Doumeki-san here, but you said to old Cao over there you weren't,' Mr. Zhuge said.

Watanuki sighed.

He traced a small diagonal line above the Line of Heaven.

'You have the Hard-Working Line - your hard work will be rewarded.'

He traced a small line at the base of Watanuki's index finger.

'But you have the Villain Line - you were, are or will be the target of a villain's schemes.'

Doumeki narrowed his eyes.

'You have the Rebellion Line - you are stubborn.' Mr. Zhuge smiled, tracing a small line at the outer edge of Watanuki's palm.

'Stubborn is right,' Doumeki said. Watanuki glared at him.

'You of course have the Mystery Cross, you're involved with supernatural matters,' Mr. Zhuge said, pointing at a little cross in the middle of Watanuki's palm.

'Involved is not the word,' Watanuki said.

'Oh dear, your little finger can't move?' Mr. Zhuge said.

'Yes, it's a result of one of those accidents,' Watanuki said.

'What on earth happened?' Mr. Zhuge asked.

'I fell from the third floor of the school Doumeki and me went to,' Watanuki said.

'So you went to school together.' Mr. Zhuge smiled.

'Unfortunately,' Watanuki said.

Mr. Zhuge smiled.

'Little finger means one's children, Watanuki-san. You will never have natural children. But given that you're inclined to the passions of the cut sleeve, that's not surprising.'

'Inclined to what?' Watanuki asked.

'There's a story that once Emperor Ai of Han found that his male lover, Dong Xian, fell asleep on his sleeve. And Emperor Ai cut off his sleeve so not to wake Dong Xian up,' Doumeki said.

'Yes.' Mr. Zhuge smiled.

Watanuki sighed.

'And you have a cloud-like shape on your thumb nail. You are nearsighted.'

'You remind me of an old fortuneteller lady I know in my town. Maybe you can meet.'

'Really?' Mr. Zhuge said.

'She too knew that a magical creature that was with me wasn't a doll.'

Mr. Zhuge nodded.

'How much do I owe you, Zhuge-san?' Watanuki asked.

'I'll come to visit you, and you'll cook something for me, Watanuki-san.' Mr. Zhuge smiled.

'The fortuneteller lady said something like that too!' Watanuki said.

Mr. Zhuge smiled.

'It's Double Ninth soon, so I think I'll come then.'

'Double Ninth?' Watanuki said.

'September Ninth,' Doumeki said.

'Oh, right,' Watanuki said. 'Where we are from, we don't celebrate it much.'

'Well, here they do, apparently,' Doumeki said.

'But that means that the Zhous will come, and Shirayuki-san too, and probably Yuuko-san!'

'Yeah,' Doumeki said.

'What do you mean yeah???'

Mr. Zhuge smiled.

'Well, see you later, Zhuge-san,' Watanuki said.

'See you later, Watanuki-san, Doumeki-san, Kagemaru-san.' Mr. Zhuge smiled.

Doumeki nodded.

* * *

Watanuki, Doumeki and Kagemaru went to the exit from the market. But suddenly Watanuki saw in the stall with musical instruments a very unusual instrument. Its body was round and white, like a full moon. It had four strings and a long neck with pegs on the sides.

'What is this?' Watanuki asked.

'This? This is a moon zither, in Han - yueqin,' the merchant said.

'I'll buy it,' Watanuki said.

'All right,' the merchant said.

* * *

When they were walking along a small alley, Doumeki suddenly traced the Heaven Line on Watanuki's right hand.

'Wha?' Watanuki said.

Watanuki blushed, and there was a pleasant heat somewhere deep down in his body. He didn't want the kiss to stop.

Doumeki broke off the kiss at last.

'W-what did you do that for!?' Watanuki said.

'I like you,' Doumeki said.

'But you always say I'm annoying and an idiot!'

'You're interesting and handsome,' Doumeki said.

'Argh!' Watanuki said.

'Well, let's go, Kimihiro,' Doumeki said.

'Kimihiro!?'

'Well, we are lovers now,' Doumeki said.

'YOU!!!' Watanuki shouted.

Kagemaru chuckled.

Doumeki cupped Watanuki's face between his hands, leaned in and kissed him.

* * *

When Watanuki, Doumeki and Kagemaru entered the forest again, Shirayuki immediately appeared before them.

'Konbanwa, Doumeki-kun, Watanuki-kun, Kagemaru.'

'Konbanwa, Shirayuki-san,' Watanuki said.

'Konbanwa, Shirayuki,' Kagemaru said.

Doumeki nodded.

'I see you've bought a lot of things,' Shirayuki said.

'Because this oaf likes to eat a mountain!' Watanuki said.

Shirayuki smiled.

'And I see you bought a moon zither too.'

'Yes. I want to learn to play it,' Watanuki said. 'I think in the kura back at Awamorishouma-in there are books on how to play it.'

'Surely,' Shirayuki said. 'The kura at Awamorishouma-in is large.'

'Yes, it is vast indeed,' Kagemaru said proudly.

'I see you bought yourself a thumb ring, Doumeki-kun,' Shirayuki noted. 'It is lovely.'

'Kimihiro gave it to me.' Doumeki smirked.

'Kimihiro? But I thought you said...' Shirayuki said.

'We kissed,' Doumeki said.

'Correction - YOU kissed me!' Watanuki said.

'But you liked it, didn't you?' Doumeki said calmly.

Watanuki sighed.

Shirayuki smiled and Kagemaru chuckled.

'Well, people climb mountains, admire chrysanthemums, drink chrysanthemum wine and eat cakes,' Shirayuki said.

'Oh, Shirayuki-san, Kagemaru-san, how do people celebrate the Double Ninth here?' Watanuki asked.

'Oh, that's fine,' Watanuki said. 'Except there are no mountains here.'

'There are hills in the forest,' Shirayuki said.

'Wonderful,' Watanuki said. 'I can make cakes, and we can buy chrysanthemum wine. And there are many chrysanthemums in the gardens of Awamorishouma-in to admire.'

'Yes, indeed,' Kagemaru said.

* * *

Some days later, Watanuki was sitting on the floor in one of the rooms of their residence, looking into the gardens through the open fusuma and playing on the moon zither High Mountain and Running Water, a tender Chinese melody about two musicians, Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi, who made friends because of music and were inseparable since then. Doumeki was sitting by his side, drinking sake and listening him, one hand on Watanuki's hip.

Suddenly Watanuki saw a person approaching them. The person came near, and Watanuki saw it was a tall, slender young man, in simple black kimono with short sleeves over a white one, long white fingerless gloves, long white socks and straw sandals, with a short golden mantle on his shoulders and a wooden box on a strap on his chest, a white headband around his head, his hair in a ponytail and his forehead shaven, a shakuhachi bamboo flute in his hands.

The young man came up to Watanuki and Doumeki and bowed.

'So Awamorishouma-in is no longer empty? I thought so, it is so clean here now. And such fine young priests settled here! May I come in?'

'Of course,' Watanuki said, puzzled as to who their guest was.

The young man came in and looked at them expectantly.

Watanuki put his moon zither down, stood up and bowed.

'I am Watanuki Kimihiro, and this is Doumeki Shizuka.'

'I am Kudou Yuusuke,' the young man said.

'Please sit down, Kudou-san,' Watanuki said.

'Thank you,' Yuusuke said and sat down. Watanuki followed him.

'Kudou-san is a komusoh, 'priest of nothingness.' Komusoh are followers of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism. Fuke was a Chinese Zen master. Komusoh travel about and play shakuhachi for alms,' Doumeki said.

'Right.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Oh, Zen?' Watanuki said. 'I don't know much about these things, but Zen I know.'

'And what sect do you belong to?' Yuusuke asked.

'Shingon,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Yuusuke said.

'Play Shika no Toune,' Doumeki suddenly said.

'Oh?' Yuusuke said. 'Well, I suppose that's justified.'

He put the shakuhachi to his lips and played a poignant melody.

When Yuusuke finished, Doumeki nodded.

'So you see I'm not a spy who can harm Watanuki-san, Doumeki-san,' Yuusuke said.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'Eh?' Watanuki said.

'Shika no Toune - Cry of the Deer - is one of the most complex Zen melodies,' Yuusuke said. 'If one can play it, one is a real komusoh. If one can't, one may be someone's spy disguised as a komusoh. But I am a real komusoh, a peaceful priest like you two.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'I am a ronin. I was a retainer of Fujiwara no Hiroyuki-sama of Ogasawara, but he was defeated and killed. So I became a komusoh. And what about you?'

'Doumeki is from an old family of priests, and I am just his companion.'

'I see,' Yuusuke said.

'I'll bring food, Kudou-san,' Watanuki said.

'Please.' Yuusuke smiled. 'And call me Yuusuke.'

'Yuusuke-san, then,' Watanuki said.

Watanuki went out and returned carrying a tray with three cups of sake, three pairs of chopsticks and three bowls of boiled eggs soaked in fragrant osmanthus tea. He put the tray down and sat beside Doumeki and Yuusuke.

Yuusuke tasted the boiled eggs.

'That's delicious,' Yuusuke said. 'Was it you who made it, Kimihiro-san?'

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'You are a very good cook, Kimihiro-san.'

Watanuki blushed.

'I heard you playing High Mountain and Running Water,' Yuusuke said. 'You play moon zither very well.'

'Thank you,' Watanuki said. 'I am learning to play moon zither.'

'Talented in many ways.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'That's a very beautiful thumb ring you have here, Shizuka-san. Are you an archer?'

'Yes,' Doumeki said. 'The ring is Kimihiro's gift to me.'

'Are you lovers?' Yuusuke smiled.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'Well, it is common among Buddhist priests, especially those of the Shingon sect,' Yuusuke said.

'Is it?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'You look good together,' Yuusuke said. 'A beautiful couple.'

Watanuki blushed.

'You look as if you are the same age,' Yuusuke said.

'How romantic!' Yuusuke said.

'Exactly same age,' Doumeki said. 'We went to school together.'

'What's in your box?' Watanuki asked.

'Music for my shakuhachi and alms, of course.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'It's called gebako - box for music,' Yuusuke said.

'I see,' Watanuki said.

'I think you are the most beautiful acolyte in the entire neighborhood, Kimihiro-san,' Yuusuke said.

'Acolyte?' Watanuki asked.

'A page,' Doumeki said.

'Why you!!! I won't cook for you, and see how you'll manage by yourself!' Watanuki said.

'No threats not to let him into your bed?' Yuusuke smiled.

Watanuki blushed deeply.

'Really, Kimihiro-san, acolyte means young attendant, assistant priest,' Yuusuke said.

'Alright then,' Watanuki huffed.

'Darn right,' Watanuki said. 'He's lousy at cooking.'

'Good, because I get the feeling Shizuka-san would miss your cooking.'

'Shizuka-san doesn't say much, true to his name, does he?'

'Yeah,' Watanuki said.

'And what does your name mean, Kimihiro-san?'

'Well, it's written with the characters for 'ruler' and 'inquire',' Watanuki said. 'So, basically, a seer. Which I am.'

'You are?' Yuusuke said.

'Yeah

'That's a remarkable talent in addition to your other gifts,' Yuusuke said.

'Amazing,' Yuusuke said. 'You call Shizuka-san by his surname?'

'Yeah, but malicious spirits want to devour me. Fortunately, Doumeki has the gift to exorcise them.'

'I am used to do so,' Watanuki said.

'Well, I know couples who are like this,' Yuusuke said.

'So do I,' Doumeki said.

'Awamorishouma-in is beautiful in autumn, with all the autumn flowers, isn't it?' Yuusuke said.

'Yeah. Not that I've seen it in other seasons, we arrived here this autumn,' Watanuki said.

'You did?' Yuusuke said.

'Yes, recently, in fact,' Watanuki said.

'I see,' Yuusuke said.

Watanuki rose and carried their empty dishes away. When he returned and wanted to sit beside Doumeki and Yuusuke, Doumeki grabbed him and scooped him into his lap. Watanuki squawked but didn't move away. Yuusuke smiled.

'Shall I play something for you?'

'Of course, Yuusuke-san,' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke put his flute to his lips and played a beautiful, sad melody.

'What is this melody called?' Watanuki asked.

'Eighteen Beats of Nomad Flute,' Yuusuke answered. 'It was composed by a Han lady, Cao Wenji, who was forced to live in the land of nomads to the east.'

'I see,' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke continued to play. The melody was so moving. Watanuki embraced Doumeki's neck. Doumeki held him protectively.

'Shizuka, never leave me,' Watanuki said.

'I give you my word of honor that I won't,' Doumeki said.

Yuusuke smiled.

'So you do call him Shizuka sometimes.'

Yuusuke played the rest of the melody and put his flute into his lap.

'Awamorishouma-in has beautiful gardens, doesn't it?' Yuusuke said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'You take good care of them, I see,' Yuusuke said.

'I try to do my best.' Watanuki blushed.

'Is your gift for cooking hereditary, Kimihiro-san?'

'I think so,' Watanuki said. 'I've lost some of my memory.'

'Oh,' Yuusuke said.

'Don't worry, it's all right,' Watanuki said.

'Kimihiro-san, Shizuka-san, can I stay here? I like your company.'

'Of course!' Watanuki smiled. Doumeki nodded.

Suddenly there was a shimmer in the air, and Kagemaru appeared.

'An otoroshi?' Yuusuke said.

'Kagemaru-san, this is Kudou Yuusuke-san,' Watanuki said hastily. 'Yuusuke-san, this is Kagemaru-san.'

'Yuusuke-kun,' Kagemaru said. 'Do not try to hurt Watanuki-kun or Doumeki-kun, or I will take measures.'

'I have no intention to harm them, Kagemaru-san.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Good,' Kagemaru said.

'And now we can play usual mahjong even when Shirayuki-san can't come,' Doumeki said.

'Yes,' Kagemaru said.

'Who is Shirayuki-san?' Yuusuke asked.

'A houkou who is a friend of Kagemaru-san,' Watanuki explained.

'I see,' Yuusuke said.

Some days later Watanuki, Doumeki, Yuusuke and Kagemaru were sitting together and having tea with dora-yaki, when Yuusuke asked:

* * *

'Do you know how to play shiratori?'

'Of course,' Watanuki said. 'One day the witch I was an apprentice to, Yuuko-san, sent me to fetch something, and sent with me Mokona, a magical creature, who looks like a cross between a black rabbit and a manjuu. It turned she sent him with me because he can speak, and a game of shiratori drives malicious spirits away.'

'Really?' Yuusuke said. 'Well, if we play, maybe that will drive away any malicious spirits who are here, if there are any here, which I doubt.'

'Maybe,' Watanuki said. 'Well, er... kiku?'

'Kuri.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Ringo,' Doumeki said.

'All you think about is food!' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke smiled.

'Gogatsu,' Kagemaru said.

'Tsuki!' Watanuki said.

'Kita,' Yuusuke said.

'Tama,' Doumeki said.

'Maru,' Kagemaru said.

Watanuki and Yuusuke smiled.

'Ruri,' Watanuki said.

'Risu,' Yuusuke said.

'Sugi,' Doumeki said.

'Giboushi,' Kagemaru said.

'Shiawase,' Watanuki said.

'Sekai,' Yuusuke said.

'Iwa,' Doumeki said.

'Warabi,' Kagemaru said.

'Biwa,' Watanuki said.

'Wakame,' Yuusuke said.

'Mensou,' Doumeki said.

'Ume,' Kagemaru said.

'Meigetsu,' Watanuki said.

'Tsutsuji,' Yuusuke said.

'Jisho,' Doumeki said.

'Shogi,' Kagemaru said.

'Ginkou,' Watanuki said.

'Uma' Yuusuke said.

'Matsu,' Doumeki said.

'Tsuyu,' Kagemaru said.

'Yuubin,' Watanuki said. 'Oh!'

'You lost, Kimihiro-san,' Yuusuke said.

'I guess,' Watanuki said.

'Now you must answer a question truthfully,' Yuusuke said.

'A-all right,' Watanuki said.

'Well, Kimihiro-san, did you have any lovers before Shizuka-san?' Yuusuke asked.

'Lovers, no,' Watanuki said. 'I loved a girl, Kunogi Himawari-chan, but she didn't love me.'

'I see,' Yuusuke said.

* * *

About thumb rings for archers, there's a very good article about them, by someone named Eric J. Hoffman. Look at http: // www. asianart .com/articles/rings/

About Chinese palmistry, type "Chinese palmistry' into a search machine, and you'll see many sites.

Moon zither is a musical instrument Alpha Hatsuseno plays in Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou, so it's a bit of crossover, though anyone could play it, really, but I first learned about it from Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou. It's a lovely manga, by the way.


	4. Chapter 4

Several days later, Watanuki, Doumeki, Kagemaru and Yuusuke were sitting together, Yuusuke playing a sweet Chinese melody and others listening to him. Suddenly a figure came into view. It approached, and Watanuki saw it was a young boy, cute, slender, with oval face, large dark eyes and long straight black hair with a long fringe, in a closed pink robe with long very wide sleeves and decorated with two circles, green and yellow, on the chest and sleeves, a tassel of green and yellow thread at the collar, green and yellow thread around the edges of the sleeves with a tassel at the bottom, crimson hakama gathered at the bottom and decorated with pairs of circles, green and yellow, near the waist, and a transparent mantle covering his head, with a katana at his waist and a paper fan in his hand. There was a strange mist around him.

Watanuki sprang to his feet, bowed deeply and said:

'I am Fujiwara no Minoru, also called Kokubunji Minoru,' the boy said.

'I am Watanuki Kimihiro, and my friends are Doumeki Shizuka and Kudou Yuusuke-san.'

'Welcome,' Watanuki said.

'I am the fiancé of Minamoto no Hirugao-chan. She and her sister Asagao-san told me you and Doumeki-san saved her,' Minoru said.

'Oh!' Watanuki said. 'They told us about you, and that you also needed help.'

'Yes,' Minoru said. 'I am always feeling unwell, but nobody can say why.'

'There is a strange mist around you,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Minoru said.

'Doumeki, do you know what to do about this mist?' Watanuki asked.

'I can try to read sutras to exorcise it,' Doumeki said.

'Do it,' Watanuki said.

'All right,' Doumeki said.

'Please come in and sit down, Minoru-sama,' Watanuki said.

Minoru nodded, slid in and sat down.

'Kimihiro, bring from the pagoda a staff with metal rings hanging from its end and incense,' Doumeki ordered.

'Yes,' Watanuki said and went to find the staff and the incense. After some time he returned with the staff and the incense.

'Good,' Doumeki said. 'Now burn the incense.'

Watanuki burned the incense, and Doumeki shook the staff, making a strange jingling, and chanted something strange. The mist around Minoru took off and left.

'Oh, thank you!' Minoru said. 'Now I feel well.'

'You're welcome,' Watanuki said.

'Now take the staff back. It's called shakujo, by the way,' Doumeki said.

'Why you...!' Watanuki shouted.

Minoru smiled.

Watanuki took the shakujo back and returned. Doumeki instantly pulled him into his lap and nuzzled his neck. Watanuki blushed deeply.

'But Asagao-san and Hirugao-chan said you weren't lovers,' Minoru said.

'Then we weren't,' Watanuki said.

'I see,' Minoru said. 'You're from those of the Mount Koya, after all.'

'Eh?' Watanuki asked.

'Mount Koya is the stronghold of the Shingon School,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'You are a fine couple,' Minoru said.

Watanuki blushed.

'Thank you for helping Hirugao-chan,' Minoru said. 'She is very important to me.'

'You're welcome,' Watanuki said.

'Both of them are lovely and have lovely names - Asagao, 'morning glory', and Hirugao, 'bindweed'. Both of these are delicate flowers, and look alike,' Doumeki said.

'Yes.' Minoru smiled.

'I'll bring some food,' Watanuki said.

He rose and went out. Some time later he returned carrying a tray with four fine porcelain cups filled with chawanmushi - egg custard with shrimps, shiitake mushrooms and snow peas, four pairs of chopsticks and four cups of sake.

'Oh, chawanmushi,' Minoru said. 'Itadakimasu.'

He tasted the chawanmushi.

'You are a real chef, Watanuki-san.'

'Kimihiro-san says it's hereditary,' Yuusuke said.

'Really, Watanuki-san? Who was your father, the Imperial Cook?' Minoru smiled.

'I don't think so, but I've lost some of my memory,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Minoru said. 'I'm sorry.'

'It's all right,' Watanuki said.

'By your name, Kudou-san, you were a retainer of the Fujiwara House?' Minoru asked.

'Yes, of Fujiwara no Hiroyuki-sama of Ogasawara,' Yuusuke said. 'But he perished.'

'I see,' Minoru said. 'But it's still a connection.'

'Yes.' Yuusuke smiled.

'We are going to celebrate Double Ninth soon,' Watanuki said. 'Please come and bring Asagao-sama and Hirugao-sama with you.'

'Thank you very much, I will.' Minoru smiled. 'And I'll bring my elder sister Yuzuki too.'

'You're welcome,' Watanuki said.

'You're a genial host, Watanuki-san,' Minoru said.

Watanuki blushed.

'May I play moon zither for you? I'm learning to play moon zither,' Watanuki said.

'Of course,' Minoru said.

Watanuki rose, went out and after some time returned with his moon zither. He sat down and touched the strings. He played Autumn Moon over Han Palace, a sad melody.

'Wonderful!' Minoru said. 'You have many talents, Watanuki-san.'

Watanuki blushed.

'Did your parents make you to wear girl's kimono trying to rid you of the feebleness, Minoru-sama?' Watanuki asked.

'Why yes, they did, but to no avail, of course.' Minoru smiled.

'It helped to Doumeki here,' Watanuki said. 'He was a fragile child.'

'Really?' Minoru smiled. 'I would never have guessed.'

'That's what I thought too when I saw a picture of Doumeki in a girl's kimono,' Watanuki said.

'It's hard to imagine him in a girl's kimono,' Minoru said.

'He made a very cute girl,' Watanuki said.

'Really?' Minoru said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'A fine thumb ring, Doumeki-san,' Minoru said.

'Kimihiro's present,' Doumeki said.

'Hirugao-chan and Asagao-san told me what a skilled archer you are,' Minoru said.

'He is,' Watanuki said.

'What rank do you have in kyuudo, Doumeki-san?' Minoru asked.

'Third dan,' Doumeki said.

'Impressive,' Minoru said.

'I try my best,' Doumeki said.

'This is a beautiful temple with beautiful gardens, and in Yamato style, too,' Minoru said.

'Yes,' Watanuki smiled.

'I heard it was abandoned, but you take good care of it now,' Minoru said.

'Thank you.' Watanuki blushed.

'I take it that you do it, Watanuki-san?' Minoru asked,

'Yes.' Watanuki blushed.

'A good housekeeper as well!' Minoru smiled.

'Can you play mahjong, Minoru-sama?' Doumeki asked.

'Of course!' Minoru said. 'I often play mahjong with Yuzuki-chan, Hirugao-chan and Asagao-san.'

'When I played mahjong with Hirugao-sama, Asagao-sama and Doumeki, I lost clean,' Watanuki grumbled.

'But you know it's fun,' Doumeki said.

Watanuki sighed.

* * *

The day before Double Ninth, Watanuki, Doumeki and Kagemaru went to the market to buy chrysanthemum wine and some other things. Yuusuke went with them, saying that he wanted to take a stroll and that he could use his shakuhachi as a club. When they were walking through the woods, Shirayuki appeared.

'Konnichiwa, Shirayuki-san,' Watanuki said.

'Konnichiwa, Watanuki-kun,' Shirayuki said. 'Where are you going?'

'To the market, to buy chrysanthemum wine and some odds and ends,' Watanuki said.

'Yamato also put chrysanthemum petals into sake cups,' Shirayuki said.

'If we do this, we'll run out of chrysanthemums,' Watanuki grumbled. 'As Yuuko-san will be there too... But we'll have to, I suppose.'

'Is Yuuko-san fond of sake?' Yuusuke asked.

'Yes, very much,' Watanuki said.

'I see,' Yuusuke said.

'What kind of cakes do people here make for Double Ninth?' Watanuki asked.

'Chung Yang Cakes,' Shirayuki said. 'Rice cakes with chestnuts and pine nuts. Often people buy them.'

'I won't buy cakes. I can make them myself!' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke and Shirayuki smiled. Kagemaru chuckled.

* * *

At the market they bought chrysanthemum wine, chestnuts, pine nuts, lettuce, French beans, turnips, peanuts, Chinese sausage, nutmeg, spring onions, a salmon and a herring. Then they started to leave the market. But when they were walking by the jeweler's stand, Watanuki saw a ring of deep green glass with a white oval moon and vertical rows of red Chinese characters.

'Does this mean what I think it means?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes.' Yuusuke smiled. 'When the sun sets and the moon rises, clusters cast shadows. When the rain stops and the wind ceases, bamboo regains silence. Be content with one's lot.'

Watanuki nodded and approached the jeweler's stand. Some time later he returned and offered the ring to Doumeki.

'This is for you, Shizuka,' Watanuki said.

Doumeki leaned in and kissed him. Watanuki blushed deeply.

Yuusuke smiled.

'I see things are good between you,' Mr. Zhuge said.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'Don't just take it for granted!!!' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke, Mr. Zhuge and all the merchants smiled.

When Watanuki, Doumeki, Yuusuke and Kagemaru were leaving the market, at the exit Watanuki saw a beautiful oil lamp, with relief work. Watanuki bought it.

* * *

When they got home, Watanuki started to clean the lamp, but suddenly a puff of magical smoke appeared out of the lamp and turned into a powerfully built male spirit wearing only wide blue trousers and a turban.

A genie??? Watanuki thought.

The spirit said something in Chinese.

'I don't understand Chinese,' Watanuki said.

The spirit said something in Chinese again.

Darn, he doesn't understand Japanese, Watanuki thought.

'People, come here, there's a Chinese genie here!!!' Watanuki shouted.

Yuusuke and Doumeki came and saw the genie coming out of the lamp.

'He lives in this lamp, apparently,' Watanuki said. 'He understands only Chinese.'

'You are lucky for strange encounters,' Doumeki said.

'And you're one of them!' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke smiled. He said something in Chinese, and the spirit answered.

'He thanks you for freeing him and wants to fulfill three of your wishes.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Wishes?' Watanuki said. 'Wishes are tricky things. Tell him I'll think about it.'

Yuusuke smiled and spoke to the genie in Chinese. The genie nodded.

'Tell him that he can be at home,' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke spoke to the genie. The genie smiled and nodded.

'Oh, and what's his name?' Watanuki asked.

Yuusuke spoke to the genie. The genie smiled and said, 'Zahir.'

'Zahir-san.' Watanuki smiled and bowed. 'I'm Watanuki Kimihiro. And my friends are Doumeki Shizuka and Kudou Yuusuke.'

Zahir smiled and inclined his head.

'I'll clean your lamp, Zahir-san, so that you are comfortable,' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke spoke to Zahir. Zahir nodded and smiled.

* * *

On the morning of September Ninth Watanuki cleaned the house furiously and cooked what was left to cook. Then he waited.

Later, when Watanuki, Doumeki and Yuusuke were playing shiratori, the Zhous came.

Watanuki jumped to his feet, bowed and said:

'Ladies and gentlemen, this is Kudou Yuusuke-san. Yuusuke-san, meet Zhou Yi-san, Wei Yuhua-san, Zhou Wen-san and Zhou Shuin-san.'

'Glad to meet you,' Yuusuke said.

'Please sit down,' Watanuki said. 'We are waiting for some more friends to come.'

The Zhous sat down.

'You settled nicely here,' Lady Wei said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'You take very good care of Awamorishouma-in,' Lady Wei said.

'Thank you, Wei Yuhua-san.' Watanuki blushed.

'Kudou-san, are you an old friend of Watanuki-san and Doumeki-san?' Lady Wei asked.

'I came here not long ago to see Awamorishouma-in again and met Kimihiro-san and Shizuka-san here. I liked their company and stayed here.' Yuusuke smiled.

'I see,' Lady Wei said.

'Do you live near here?' Yuusuke said.

'Yes, our manor, Deer Grove, is nearby,' Lady Wei said.

'Wei Yuhua-san, your name, Jade Flower, suits you.' Yuusuke smiled. 'And your name, Zhou Shuin-san, suits you very much too, Delicate Stalk.'

Shuin blushed. Lady Wei smiled.

At this moment, Kagemaru and Shirayuki came up.

'Who is this?' Shuin asked.

'This is Kagemaru-san, the otoroshi of this temple, and his friend Shirayuki-san, a houkou of the nearby forests,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Shuin said.

'Kagemaru-san, Shirayuki-san, please sit down,' Watanuki said.

Kagemaru and Shirayuki sat down, Shirayuki curling his five tails around him.

'Who else must come?' Lady Wei asked.

'Zhuge Qing-san, a wise fortuneteller from Anzhou, Ichihara Yuuko-san, my teacher, two noble ladies - Minamoto no Asagao-sama and Minamoto no Hirugao-sama, sisters, Fujiwara no Minoru-sama, Hirugao-sama's fiancé, and his older sister Yuzuki-sama. Maybe Yuuko-san will bring somebody else with her,' Watanuki said.

'You know Mr. Zhuge?' Lady Wei asked.

'Yes. We met him when we went to the market in Anzhou.' Watanuki blushed. 'He said everything about me truthfully, and he said I'll be married or in a stable union.'

Lady Wei smiled.

'And how did you come to know those noble people?' Shuin asked.

'We exorcised Hirugao-sama and Minoru-sama,' Watanuki said. 'But I haven't met Minoru-sama's sister yet. He just promised to bring her here.'

At this point Doumeki scooped Watanuki into his lap and kissed him.

'But you said you weren't lovers!' Lady Wei said.

'Then we weren't,' Doumeki said.

Watanuki blushed. Everyone smiled. Kagemaru chuckled.

Suddenly appeared Yuuko with Himawari, Kohane, the old fortuneteller lady, Ame-Warashi, Zashiki-Warashi, the black Mokona and Mugetsu. Yuuko was in a black kimono with a pattern of a branch with golden flowers and golden fans. Mokona was sitting on Yuuko's shoulder, and Mugetsu was curled around Yuuko's neck. Himawari was in a golden kimono with bushes of red and white chrysanthemums. Kohane was in a white kimono with red checkerboard pattern in the upper part and racing scene under maple trees in the lower part, and there were hairpins with sakura flowers in her hair. Zashiki-Warashi was in a light blue kimono with white fans and red and black kanji in the upper part and grove of pines, bamboos and plum trees in the lower part, and there were hairpins with lilies in her blue long hair. All this looked lovely with her large dark eyes, but she looked guilty for some reason. Ame-Warashi was in a white kimono with the pattern of branches of chrysanthemums over a black sinuous stream and golden kanji, and there were hairpins with pink peonies in her dark red hair. She looked angry, as always.

'What beautiful ladies!' Yuusuke said.

Yuuko and Himawari smiled, Kohane and Zashiki-Warashi blushed, and Ame-Warashi frowned.

'Yuuko-san!' Watanuki said. Mugetsu jumped from Yuuko's neck to Watanuki's and rubbed against Watanuki's cheek.

'Hello Mugetsu.' Watanuki smiled.

'Mugetsu, 'moonless night'?' Yuusuke asked.

'Yes, because he appears and disappears suddenly.' Watanuki smiled.

'What is he?' Yuusuke asked.

'A kudagitsune,' Watanuki explained. 'He can turn into a large fox with many tails.'

'Oh,' Yuusuke said.

'And I am Mokona!' Mokona said.

'Oh, sorry!' Watanuki said. 'My friends are Ichihara Yuuko-san, Kunogi Himawari-chan, Zashiki-Warashi-san, Ame-Warashi-san, and...er, I'm sorry, I never learned your name...'

'It's all right.' The fortuneteller lady smiled. 'I am Abe Mitsuki.'

'Abe Mitsuki-san,' Watanuki said. 'It's a good name.'

'Yes,' Doumeki said. 'Abe is an old family of fortunetellers and wizards, descended from Abe no Seimei.'

'That's right.' Mitsuki-san smiled.

'Oh, sorry,' Watanuki said. 'Meet Zhou Yi-san, Wei Yuhua-san, Zhou Wen-san, Zhou Shuin-san, Kagemaru-san and Shirayuki-san.'

The guests bowed to each other.

'Please sit down,' Watanuki said. 'Wait a bit, we are waiting for five more people.'

'All right,' Yuuko said.

The newcomers sat down.

'Himawari-san, you have a lovely name. It suits you,' Yuusuke said.

'Thank you.' Himawari beamed.

'Kohane-san, what are the characters of your name?' Yuusuke asked.

'Little feather,' Kohane answered.

'A good name', Yuusuke said.

'Thank you.' Kohane blushed.

'Zashiki-Warashi-san, is something wrong?' Watanuki asked. 'You look upset.'

'No, everything's all right,' Zashiki-Warashi said.

'Let's play Hanafuda!' Yuuko suddenly said and produced a deck of Hanafuda cards from her wide sleeve.

Yuuko put the cards on the floor.

'See, there are twelve suits representing months, each month assigned a flower, with four cards in each suit,' Doumeki said. 'Cards with pine are January, the card with red ribbon with characters and the card with crane and sun being special cards. Cards with plum are February, the card with red ribbon and the card with bush warbler are special, worth more points. Cards with sakura are March, the card with red ribbon and the card with camp curtain are special. Cards with wisteria are April, the card with red ribbon and the card with cuckoo and moon are special. Cards with iris are May, the card with red ribbon and the card with water iris and eight-plank bridge are special. Cards with peony are June, the card with blue ribbon and the card with butterflies are special. Cards with bush clover are July, the card with red ribbon and the card with boar are special. Cards with hills covered with miscanthus are August, the card with geese in flight and the card with full moon and red sky are special. Cards with chrysanthemum are September, the card with blue ribbon and the card with sake cup are special. Cards with maple are October, the card with blue ribbon and the card with deer are special. Cards with willow are November, the card with lightning, the card with swallow and the card with a man with umbrella and frog are special. Cards with paulownia are December; the card with Chinese phoenix is special.'

'I see,' Watanuki said.

'Eight cards are dealt to each player, and eight cards are placed between the players. If a player has a card of the same suit with one of the other eight, he takes both cards. If not, he discards a card, and a card is taken from the deck. If one of the players has a card of the same suit as that card, he takes then both. If not, the card from the deck is added to the eight between the players. One who has the most points wins.'

'All right,' Watanuki said.

'Four animals or four ribbons are a yaku, and if you have all cards of one suit it is a yaku too,' Doumeki said.

'I see,' Watanuki said.

'I'll deal cards, all right?' Yuuko asked.

The others nodded. Yuuko shuffled the deck and dealt cards, then placed eight cards on the floor face up, in two rows.

Watanuki immediately saw a card with iris in his hand and a card with water iris and eight-plank bridge on the floor. He showed his card and took them both, and then waited.

Yuuko showed that she had three cards with peony and took the card he discarded. He waited again.

Nobody discarded a card of the same suit with one of his own, so he discarded a card himself, a peony.

Zashiki-Warashi discarded a card with chrysanthemum. He showed he had another one and took them both. Then he waited again.

Kohane discarded a card with a moon and red sky. Watanuki showed he had another three cards with hills, covered with miscanthus, and took all four. He waited again.

He didn't get any more matches, and when the cards were all played, he had the least points.

'You lose the round, Watanuki!' Yuuko said.

'Yeah,' Watanuki said.

'Well, there is a saying that one who is unlucky at cards is lucky in love. And you're definitely lucky in love by the way you and Doumeki-kun are sitting!' Yuuko said.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

Watanuki blushed.

At this point five people appeared in the doorway - Minoru hand in hand with Lady Hirugao and behind them Lady Asagao hand in hand with a tall, slender young woman with long curly brown hair, and Mr. Zhuge.

Minoru bowed.

'I am Fujiwara no Minoru, and with me are my elder sister, Fujiwara no Yuzuki, my fiancée Minamoto no Hirugao and her elder sister Minamoto no Asagao.'

'I am Zhuge Qing,' Mr. Zhuge said.

'Meet Zhou Yi-san, Wei Yuhua-san, Zhou Wen-san, Zhou Shuin-san, Kagemaru-san, Shirayuki-san, Ichihara Yuuko-san, Kunogi Himawari-chan, Tsuyuri Kohane-chan, Zashiki-Warashi-san, Ame-Warashi-san, Abe Mitsuki-san, Mokona-chan and Mugetsu-chan.'

'Pleased to meet you,' Minoru said.

'Please sit down,' Watanuki said.

Minoru, Lady Hirugao, Lady Asagao, Yuzuki and Mr. Zhuge sat down.

'I'll bring food now,' Watanuki said, rose and went out.

Some time later he returned carrying a great tray with bowls of ochazuke - boiled rice doused with tea and topped with flaked salmon, chopped spring onions and wasabi and dishes of popiah, kazari-sushi - sushi with carrots forming image of bear, baked herring stuffed with sweet potatoes with milk, pepper and nutmeg, Double Ninth cakes in the image of chrysanthemums, a bottle of chrysanthemum wine, a bottle of sake, cups and chopsticks. He put the tray on the floor and sat down.

'Oh, popiah,' Lady Wei said, took one with her chopsticks and tasted it. 'Delicious!'

'Thank you.' Watanuki blushed.

'And you brought sake as well as chrysanthemum wine!' Yuuko said.

'I know you like it,' Watanuki said. 'But if you have too much you won't be able to climb any hills later.'

'Watanuki, you're so mean!' Yuuko pouted.

'And what is this fish dish?' Minoru said, tasting the baked herring. 'I've never had anything like it.'

'It is a Western dish,' Watanuki said. 'There are many Westerners where we are from. It is a French dish, called baked herring.'

'Very interesting,' Minoru said. 'You're a real itamae, Watanuki-san.'

Watanuki blushed. Itamae was what a very skilled cook was called.

'Pour me some sake, Watanuki, and throw in some chrysanthemum petals,' Yuuko ordered.

'All right,' Watanuki grumbled, poured sake into her cup and went to the garden. He returned with some chrysanthemum petals and threw them into Yuuko's cup.

'Mokona wants this too!' Mokona said, eating kazari-sushi.

'And me,' Doumeki said around a Double Ninth cake.

'Bottomless pits,' Watanuki grumbled but complied.

'Zhuge-san, do you come from that Zhuge family?' Mitsuki-san said.

'Yes.' Mr Zhuge smiled. 'And do you come from that Abe family, Mitsuki-san?'

'Yes.' Mitsuki-san smiled.

'Mitsuki-san said that my destiny is connected with the one I always quarrel with,' Watanuki said.

'Doumeki-kun?' Mitsuki-san said.

'Yes.' Watanuki blushed.

'I saw that Watanuki-san is to be in a solid relationship,' Mr Zhuge said.

'Really?' Mitsuki-san said.

'Yes. I read his palm. I usually read palms,' Mr Zhuge said.

'Oh?' Mitsuki-san said.

'Yuzuki-sama, how is your name written?' Yuusuke asked.

'Citron princess.' Yuzuki smiled.

'It is a lovely name,' Yuusuke said.

'Thank you, Kudou-san.' Yuzuki smiled.

Mugetsu nuzzled Watanuki's cheek.

'I didn't know that you would come, Mugetsu-chan, or I would make inari-zushi for you.' Watanuki smiled. 'I'll make them later.'

'Yuzuki-sama, Asagao-sama, are you lovers?' Lady Wei asked.

'We are bound by the Gold Orchid vow,' Yuzuki said, holding Lady Asagao's hand.

'Oh,' Lady Wei said.

'Eh?' Watanuki said.

'Golden Orchid Association is a society for women who don't wish to marry men,' Doumeki said. 'Some of them don't want to marry at all, but some just don't want to marry men because they're attracted to women. They marry between each other. If one of them wants to marry another, she gives her an offering of peanut candies, dates and similar things. If the other woman rejects it, it means she rejects her suitor also. If she accepts it, they're engaged. Later they sign a contract in the presence of their friends and celebrate the event. If they break their vow, all their friends would put them to shame.'

'Right.' Yuzuki smiled. 'But we have no intention to break our vow.'

'The oath that sworn brothers give is also called the Gold and Orchid oath, because it is beautiful and lasting,' Lady Asagao said.

'How long before you two give it, Watanuki-san?' Lady Wei asked.

'I'll see.' Watanuki frowned.

'I'll wait,' Doumeki said. 'I have no wish to haste you.'

'Aww!' Yuuko said.

Lady Wei took a Double Ninth cake and tasted it.

'This is lovely! Doumeki-san, take care, or some dignitary may set his eyes on Watanuki-san and abduct him, like Li abducted Wu Shang, and you'll have to rescue him, like Jiang Lang!'

'I'm sure Doumeki-kun can protect Watanuki-kun!' Himawari said. 'Oh!'

'It's all right, Himawari-chan,' Watanuki said hastily.

Yuuko, Ame-Warashi and Mr Zhuge frowned. Doumeki narrowed his eyes.

'The chrysanthemums in the gardens of Awamorishouma-in are beautiful, ne?' Yuusuke said.

'Yes, they are.' Watanuki smiled.

The chrysanthemums in the garden were really beautiful, large and fluffy, white, yellow and red.

'That's a beautiful thumb ring, Doumeki-san,' Lady Wei said.

'It was Kimihiro's gift,' Doumeki said.

Lady Wei smiled.

'Mmmm, this ochazuke is lovely,' Shirayuki said. 'It is so good you came here.'

'Thank you, Shirayuki-san,' Watanuki blushed.

'Watanuki-kun, are you comfortable here?' Himawari asked.

'I am, don't worry, Himawari-chan.' Watanuki smiled.

'This place is beautiful,' Yuzuki said. 'A fine old temple.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'Kohane-chan, you have strong powers, right?' Mr Zhuge asked.

'I am a Seer, like Kimihiro-kun,' Kohane said shyly. 'It was because of this that we became friends. We can understand each other. Kimihiro-kun is like an older brother to me.'

'I see,' Mr Zhuge said.

'How old is this temple?' Yuzuki asked.

'Five hundred years old,' Kagemaru answered. 'I know that for a fact, as I appeared when it was built.'

'Oh,' Yuzuki said.

'Well, who was talking about climbing some hills?' Yuuko asked. 'Let's go and climb them!'

'Oh, right,' Watanuki said. 'Can you show us where those hills are, Shirayuki-san?'

'Of course!' Shirayuki said.

He jumped to his feet. The rest of the party rose also.

Shirayuki went out, waving his tails, and the company followed him.

'Why are you so sad, Zashiki-Warashi-sama?' Yuusuke asked. 'You're so beautiful.'

'It's nothing, Kudou-san, but thank you for your care,' Zashiki-Warashi said.

* * *

They walked through the woods and at last came to rather high green hills, covered with bamboo.

'Here they are,' Shirayuki said.

'Hurrah!' Yuuko said. 'Let's climb them!'

'Yes!' Mokona said.

'Are you sure you're able to, Yuuko-san?' Watanuki asked.

'Watanukiii!' Yuuko pouted.

They climbed one of the hills with some effort and huffing, and then stood atop of the hill and looked at the lush green bamboo thicket below.

'Beautiful!' Kohane said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'This is a great place here.'

'Yes.' Kohane smiled. 'I am glad you are in such a lovely place, Kimihiro-kun.'

'Thank you, Kohane-chan.' Watanuki smiled.

'Here is some dogwood,' Shuin said.

'You're right,' Watanuki said and picked some dogwood branches with oval green leaves and red bark.

'Now let's go baaack, have more sake and play Hanafuda and mahjong!' Yuuko said. 'I'll stay the night!'

'I think we will, too,' Minoru said.

'I shall stay too,' Mr Zhuge said.

'And we,' Lady Wei said.

'All right,' Watanuki said.

And they started their way back to the temple.

******

Happy Groundhog Day to those in the US, and hope you don't have another six weeks of winter! Here we will apparently have an early spring, for the sky here is all overcast! Thanks to all the reviewers, I feel almost like a professional writer, with lots of fans and deadlines!


	5. Chapter 5

One day, when Watanuki was washing the dishes after the breakfast, wearing a kappogi, he suddenly saw that cracks on an old jug standing atop the mizuya formed a grin.

'Wha?' Watanuki said.

'Don't worry, I am not malevolent,' the jug said. 'I am a kameosa - an endless vessel. You can pour any drink into me, and it will never run out. We kameosa are a kind of tsukumogami - very old things that come to life.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said. 'Then I will pour sake into you. That bottomless pit, my lover, likes sake.'

The kameosa grinned.

'I am Shingetsu.'

'New moon? A good name.' Watanuki smiled.

'I came up with it myself,' Shingetsu said.

'I see,' Watanuki said. 'And I am Watanuki Kimihiro. Pleased to meet you.'

* * *

Once, when Watanuki and Doumeki were listening to Yuusuke playing his flute, they saw a figure in distance. The newcomer was tall and slender and was wearing a wide closed white robe, red hakama and a tall narrow black hat and had a sword at his waist.

'A courtier!' Yuusuke said. 'One of Minoru-sama's friends?'

The newcomer came near, and they saw it was a girl, with large dark eyes and long black hair. There was a spirit cobweb with a large spider about her.

'Court ladies don't dress like this, so it's either an eccentric court lady or a shirabyoshi dancer, a dancing geisha dressing as a man,' Doumeki said.

'You are right, I am a shirabyoshi dancer,' the girl said, smiling. 'My name is Saitou Miyuki.'

Watanuki rose and bowed.

'I am Watanuki Kimihiro, and my friends are Doumeki Shizuka and Kudou Yuusuke-san.'

'Glad to meet you,' Miyuki said. 'Fujiwara no Minoru-sama said that you saved him from his mysterious affliction. I also have one.'

'Yes. You have a spirit cobweb with a large spider about you,' Watanuki said.

'Oh!' Miyuki said.

'Don't worry, we'll exorcise it,' Watanuki said. Doumeki nodded.

'All right.' Miyuki smiled.

Doumeki went out and returned with his bow. He stood across from Miyuki, drew the bowstring and aimed. The thumb ring that Kimihiro gave him helped him. Miyuki stood unwavering. Doumeki released the bowstring. The white shining arrow of ki flew to the spider and hit it. The spider and its web dissolved.

'I only hope this spider wasn't another relative of Jorogumo,' Watanuki said wryly.

'Jorogumo?' Miyuki asked.

'Doumeki once destroyed a large cobweb, and the spider turned to be a relative of Jorogumo,' Watanuki explained. 'We both suffered as a result.'

'Oh,' Miyuki said.

'But I had to release you,' Doumeki said.

Miyuki smiled.

'Please sit down, Miyuki-san, and I'll bring some food,' Watanuki said.

Miyuki sat down gracefully, and Watanuki went out and returned carrying a tray with four bowls of bamboo shoot and coltsfoot tempura, four cups of osmanthus tea and four pairs of chopsticks.

Miyuki tasted the tempura.

'You are really a very good cook, Watanuki-san.'

'Thank you.' Watanuki blushed.

'Can you wield a sword, Miyuki-san?' Doumeki asked.

'Yes,' Miyuki said. 'And you are a very good archer, Doumeki-san. This ring suits you. Watanuki-san has a good taste.'

'It just was so beautiful,' Watanuki said.

'You are a fine couple,' Miyuki said.

'You are very beautiful, Miyuki-san,' Yuusuke said.

'Thank you.' Miyuki smiled.

'Are you for the first time here, Miyuki-san?' Yuusuke asked.

'Yes.' Miyuki smiled. 'It's a lovely little temple.'

'How long do you know Minoru-sama?' Yuusuke asked.

'Many years.' Miyuki smiled. 'He admires me.'

'I see,' Yuusuke said.

'Watanuki-san is so talkative and energetic, and Doumeki-san is so silent and calm.' Miyuki smiled. 'Like two halves of the Tai Chi symbol.'

'My sign is a Water sign, and his sign is a Fire sign,' Doumeki said.

'Really?' Miyuki asked. 'How fitting!'

'Yes, it is,' Doumeki said.

'Where are you from?' Miyuki asked.

'Northeast from here, from a city called Tokyo,' Watanuki said.

'I see,' Miyuki said.

'You wouldn't happen to be from Ogasawara, Miyuki-san?' Yuusuke asked.

'No, I am from Hong Kong,' Miyuki said. 'Why?'

'I am from Ogasawara,' Yuusuke said. 'Well, at least we both have the character 'wisteria' in our names. It's a connection, as Minoru-sama said.'

'Yes.' Miyuki smiled.

'And you, Shizuka-san, do you have this character in your name too?' Yuusuke asked.

'No, the first character in my name is hundred,' Doumeki said. 'My surname means 'hundred-eyed demon'. It's very old.'

'I see,' Yuusuke said.

'Shall I dance for you now?' Miyuki asked.

'Of course!' Watanuki said.

Miyuki rose gracefully and began dancing. She moved lightly and gracefully, as if she attacked, countered and eluded.

'Beautiful!' Watanuki said.

'Thank you.' Miyuki smiled.

'Do you play mahjong?' Doumeki asked.

'Yes.' Miyuki smiled.

'Care to play with us?' Doumeki asked.

'Of course.' Miyuki smiled.

When they were playing for some time, Miyuki asked:

'May I stay here for a bit?'

'Of course!' Watanuki said.

Doumeki nodded.

'Call me Yuusuke then.' Yuusuke smiled.

'All right, Yuusuke-san.' Miyuki smiled.

* * *

One day Watanuki was watering the astilbe bushes at the temple gate, when something entered the glade, something humanoid but thirty feet tall, covered in dark hair, with teeth like a saw and claws. Watanuki froze, but the creature walked by peacefully and disappeared in the woods. Watanuki blinked.

When Watanuki returned to the abbot's residence, he told Doumeki, Yuusuke and Miyuki, who were drinking sake together:

'I saw...something...that looked like a human, but was thirty feet tall, and had dark fur, teeth like a saw and claws! Luckily, it walked by!'

'It was a kind of giant the Koryo people call chang-in,' Yuusuke said.

'There are Koreans here too?' Watanuki said.

'Well, naturally,' Yuusuke said.

'Bring more sake,' Doumeki said.

'Bottomless pit!' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke and Miyuki smiled.

* * *

Once, when Watanuki was cooking dinner, he saw a cat in the doorway, a long, slender brown Siamese cat with pale blue eyes and two tails.

'Hello,' Watanuki said.

'Hello,' the cat said. 'Are you a priest here?'

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'So this temple really isn't abandoned anymore,' the cat said. 'I felt the smell. Oden?'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'Are you hungry?'

'Yes,' the cat said.

Watanuki instantly put some fish in a saucer and put it on the floor.

'Here you are!' he said.

'Itadakimasu,' the cat said and started to eat the fish.

'I'm Watanuki Kimihiro,' Watanuki said.

'Aren't you afraid of me?' the cat asked.

'Why?' Watanuki said.

'Well, I have two tails,' the cat said.

'Maybe you are powerful, but I've seen stranger things,' Watanuki said.

'But I'm a nekomata,' the cat said.

'Eh?' Watanuki said.

'A cat who lived a long life and became able to do magic,' the cat said.

'I thought it was only foxes,' Watanuki said.

'Many people are afraid that their cat would turn into an evil nekomata, so they cut off kittens' tails or throw elderly cats out,' the cat said.

'It's awful!' Watanuki said.

'I lived in a rich family in the town of Liuzhou nearby, when I became a nekomata. They threw me out. I wandered around the neighborhood since then.'

'I hate people like that,' Watanuki said. 'They are unworthy of you if they threw you out like this.'

'May I stay here?' the cat asked.

'Of course.' Watanuki smiled.

'And other priests won't object?' the cat asked.

'There is only one, and he's very calm,' Watanuki said.

'Give me a new name,' the cat asked. 'Those people called me Chouchou, Butterfly, but I don't want to be called by that name anymore.'

'Er...' Watanuki thought a bit. 'Ono no Komachi.'

'It's a good name,' the cat said.

'Well then, Komachi-chan.' Watanuki smiled. 'That large jug on the mizuya is Shingetsu-san, he's a kameosa.'

'Hajimemashite,' Komachi said and flicked her tails.

'Maybe you are her reincarnation,' Watanuki said. 'You are so graceful. I've always liked Siamese cats.'

Komachi's outlines blurred suddenly, and Watanuki saw a tall, slender young woman with large pale blue eyes and long straight brown hair, in long wide open robes in many layers of various colors over a white kimono and red hakama. The young woman smiled. Then her outlines blurred, and Watanuki saw Komachi again.

'Well, how was it?' Komachi asked.

'Stunning,' Watanuki said.

Komachi flicked her tails.

At this point Doumeki came in and snatched a shiitake.

'Wait until dinner!' Watanuki said. 'You have no manners at all!'

Doumeki kissed him.

'Your husband is handsome,' Komachi said. 'So he's the other priest.'

'He's not my husband!' Watanuki said.

'It sure looks like he is,' Komachi said.

'This oaf is my lover, Doumeki Shizuka,' Watanuki said. 'Doumeki, this is Ono no Komachi-chan. People she lived with threw her out because she became a nekomata. I gave her a new name.'

'It's a good name,' Doumeki said.

'Lover, eh? So I wasn't really mistaken,' Komachi said and flicked her tails.

'Why do all the women say that??' Watanuki said.

'Because women have sixth sense,' Komachi said and flicked her tails.

'It's true,' Doumeki said.

'You are true to your name, Doumeki-kun,' Komachi said.

* * *

One day, when Watanuki, Doumeki, Yuusuke and Miyuki were playing Hanafuda and Komachi was watching, they saw a mahogany palanquin with crimson curtains, carried by a lot of servants and surrounded by a lot of guards. The palanquin approached and stopped. The servants lowered the palanquin, and a fat man with thin moustache, in purple Chinese robe and cylindrical golden hat came out. Komachi lashed her tails for some reason.

Watanuki jumped to his feet, bowed deeply and said:

'I am Watanuki Kimihiro, and my friends are Doumeki Shizuka, Kudou Yuusuke-san and Saitou Miyuki-san.'

'I am Yang Ban, the magistrate of Liuzhou,' the fat man said.

'Please sit down, and I'll bring some food,' Watanuki said and went out. Komachi slid out of the room too.

Watanuki came to the kitchen, opened the mizuya, took out a kappogi and put it on his wine red kimono with golden chrysanthemums on the hem and cuffs.

'Watanuki-kun, be careful,' Komachi said. 'The magistrate of Liuzhou likes beautiful women and beautiful young men very much, and he's unscrupulous.'

Watanuki frowned.

* * *

Some time later Watanuki returned, carrying a tray with five bowls of tsukimi udon -'moon-viewing' udon, topped with half an egg, five pairs of chopsticks and five cups of tea. He put it on the floor and sat down.

Yang Ban tasted the tsukimi udon.

'Have you made this yourself, Watanuki-kun? You are a very good cook!'

He looked at Watanuki intently.

'Thank you,' Watanuki said coldly.

'You are very beautiful in this kimono,' Yang Ban said.

'Thank you,' Watanuki said coldly.

'You have unusual eyes - one blue and one golden brown,' Yang Ban said.

'When I lost one eye, Shizuka gave part of his eye to me,' Watanuki answered.

'Really?' Yuusuke said. 'You have a very strong bond.'

'You have a beautiful ring, Doumeki-kun,' Yang Ban said.

'It was Kimihiro's gift,' Doumeki said. 'It helps me a lot. I have third dan in kyuudo.'

'How old are you, Watanuki-kun?' Yang Ban asked.

'Seventeen,' Watanuki said.

'Just seventeen,' Yang Ban said and examined Watanuki from head to foot.

Watanuki shivered. Doumeki frowned.

'Is it you who keep the temple so tidy, Watanuki-kun?' Yang Ban asked.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'You are a treasure,' Yang Ban said.

'Thank you,' Watanuki said coldly.

'Kimihiro-san can play moon zither too,' Yuusuke said.

'Really?' Yang Ban said. 'So many talents.'

Watanuki glared at Yuusuke.

'Watanuki-kun, please play moon zither,' Yang Ban said.

'All right,' Watanuki said coldly and went out. Some time later he returned with the moon zither, sat down and started to play High Mountain and Running Water.

'How beautiful!' Yang Ban said.

'Thank you,' Watanuki said coldly.

'Now I want to retire,' Yang Ban said.

'Of course,' Watanuki said. 'Come with me, please.'

'Thank you,' Yang Ban said. 'Guards! Follow me.'

Yang Ban's guards came inside. Watanuki went out of the room, Yang Ban and his guards followed. Doumeki frowned.

* * *

Watanuki showed Yang Ban to one of the rooms. Yang Ban sat down, his guards standing behind him.

'Be at home,' Watanuki said.

'Please stay with me a bit,' Yang Ban said. Watanuki stayed dutifully.

Yang Ban touched Watanuki's hip.

'Please don't touch me that way,' Watanuki said. 'I am Shizuka's lover.'

'What do you see in that rude priest?' Yang Ban said. 'You are so handsome and talented, you could do so much better.'

'I like Shizuka, and I don't want anyone else,' Watanuki said.

'I see now,' Yang Ban said. 'Guards! Hold him and put him on the floor. But don't spoil his beauty.'

Guards seized Watanuki and put him on the floor.

'Shizuka!!!' Watanuki shouted.

* * *

In rushed Doumeki with drawn bow, Miyuki with naked sword, Yuusuke with his shakuhachi at the ready and Komachi with red glow around her and her hackles raised. Komachi waved her tails and all the guards froze in mid-movement. Doumeki aimed at Yang Ban.

'You can't!' Yang Ban said. 'I'm the magistrate of Liuzhou!'

'I don't think so,' Yuusuke said with steel in his voice. He reached into his kimono and produced a pendant on a metal chain, pentagonal with a large round dark jewel engraved with a pentagram and a Yin and Yang symbol below the jewel.

'An Amenosa!' Miyuki, Komachi and Yang Ban exclaimed.

'Yes,' Yuusuke said. 'I came here to investigate you, Yang Ban, and now know that all the revolting things I've heard about you are true. Shizuka-san, do what you wish.'

Doumeki released the bowstring. The ring that Kimihiro gave him helped him. He rarely missed, and he didn't miss now. Yang Ban fell to the floor.

'This is what will happen to anyone who will try to harm Kimihiro,' Doumeki said.

'And you, release Kimihiro-san, take that scum and go away. Liuzhou will have a new magistrate, I'll see to that,' Yuusuke said.

Komachi flicked her tails and released the guards. The guards released Watanuki, picked up Yang Ban's body and went away.

Doumeki darted to Watanuki and embraced him.

'He hasn't done anything to you, Kimihiro?' Doumeki asked, worried.

'N-no,' Watanuki said.

'Good,' Doumeki said.

Yuusuke and Miyuki smiled. Komachi flicked her tails.

'What's an Amenosa?' Watanuki asked.

'An Amenosa is an investigator who looks if magistrates have overstepped their boundaries, and punishes them if they do,' Doumeki said. 'Amenosa outrank all the magistrates and governors.'

'Right.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Are you a real komusoh?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes, I'm a real komusoh.' Yuusuke said. 'But I'm an Amenosa also.'

'Well, Buddhist priests can be civil servants,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

* * *

Later they were sitting and playing Hanafuda peacefully again. Doumeki was holding Watanuki in his lap and in his embrace. Komachi was moving cards with her mind.

'You are very powerful, Komachi-chan,' Watanuki said. 'The people you lived with are lucky that you aren't vengeful.'

'Yes,' Komachi said.

'Forgive me for telling Yang Ban you could play moon zither, Kimihiro-san,' Yuusuke said. 'But I had to push him a bit, and I was sure Shizuka-san would protect you.'

'It's all right,' Watanuki said.

'You are too attractive for your own good, Kimihiro-san,' Yuusuke said.

Watanuki blushed.

'May I ask you about something, Kimihiro-san?' Yuusuke asked.

'Yes?' Watanuki said.

'You don't know many things that every person in the Celestial Empire knows, but you don't seem a foreigner. You look and behave like a Yamato. Why is that?' Yuusuke asked.

Watanuki rubbed his forehead.

'Have you heard about the Witch of Dimensions?'

'Of course,' Yuusuke said.

'Well, it's Yuuko-san,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Yuusuke said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'Yuuko-san is a fabulous woman,' Yuusuke said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'Imagine that!' Yuusuke said.

'I was always entangled in strange things, but when I met Yuuko-san, I became entangled in strange things even more,' Watanuki said. 'And one day some magic carried Doumeki and me here. It turned out that we can't leave this place, and Yuuko-san doesn't know whose magic it is and how to release it. I don't want to leave this place forever, but I want to see my homeland from time to time. I'm from another dimension, and Doumeki too.'

'I see,' Yuusuke said.

'In our dimension, our people live in a separate country in islands to the east. It is called Nihon, and we are called Nihonjin,' Watanuki said.

'Land of the Rising Sun? A good name.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'And why does Shizuka-san know things that you don't?' Yuusuke asked.

'He's from an old family of priests,' Watanuki said.

'I see,' Yuusuke said. 'And why did Yuuko-san, Ame-Warashi-sama and Zhuge-san frown and Shizuka-san narrow his eyes when Himawari-san said that Shizuka-san will protect you? I felt that her aura was dark, but she wasn't evil.'

'Himawari-chan is cursed,' Watanuki said. 'She brings misfortune to other people.'

'Ah,' Yuusuke said.

'You are very observant,' Watanuki said.

'It's my job to be observant.' Yuusuke smiled. 'For example, you usually call Shizuka-san by his surname, and by his given name only in moments of strong emotion.'

'That's because we went to school together,' Watanuki said.

'Is Kohane-chan your sworn sister, Kimihiro-san?' Yuusuke asked.

'No,' Watanuki said. 'It isn't common in our country.'

'Well, she should be,' Yuusuke said. 'You are like an older brother to her.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'I'll ask her.'

'Good,' Yuusuke said. 'It's a wonderful custom, it makes people not related by blood, brothers and sisters.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'I bet here people celebrate Lantern Festival, Qingming, Dragon Boat Festival, Ghost Month, Mid-Autumn Festival and Laba and call New Year also Spring Festival and Tanabata, Double Seventh,' Doumeki said.

'Why yes,' Yuusuke said.

Doumeki nodded.

'That's a lot of holidays!' Watanuki said. 'What are Laba and Ghost Month?'

'Laba is a festival in honor of attainment of Buddhism by Shakyamuni, but now it's just a secular festival. Chinese make a steamed pudding of rice and fruits, Laba pudding, on that day. It's December Eighth,' Doumeki said. 'Ghost Month is when souls are temporarily released from Hell to enjoy human company and warmth. Feasts are prepared for them and lanterns are set floating on water to welcome them. It's in July.'

'I see,' Watanuki said.

'Koryo also live in a separate country in our dimension,' Doumeki said. 'It's called Korea.'

'Predictably,' Yuusuke said.

'Amenosa is a Korean title,' Doumeki said .

'Really?' Watanuki said.

'Yes,' Yuusuke said.

'Kimihiro, make kimchi,' Doumeki said.

'Why you!' Watanuki said.

* * *

One day Watanuki, Doumeki, Yuusuke, Miyuki, Komachi, Shirayuki and Kagemaru were playing hanafuda together, when Doumeki suddenly said:

'Why don't we go and see a Kabuki play, the four of us?'

'A double date!' Watanuki said.

'Double date?' Yuusuke asked.

'It's when two couples go somewhere together,' Watanuki explained.

'Oh,' Yuusuke said. 'Would you like to go, Miyuki-san?'

'Of course.' Miyuki smiled.

'Is there a Kabuki theater nearby, Kagemaru-san?' Doumeki asked.

'Of course, Minami-za in Anzhou,' Kagemaru answered.

'Good,' Doumeki said.

'Shizuka, your coat of arms is two crossed arrows in a circle, right?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes, _maruni chigai ya_,' Doumeki said.

'I saw it on buildings and various objects in your family temple,' Watanuki said.

'Shirayuki-san and me will stay here, guard the temple and play Hanafuda,' Komachi said. 'Right, Shirayuki-san?'

'Yes.' Shirayuki smiled.

'Kimihiro and me once went to a double date with beautiful twin sisters, but Kimihiro was in love with Kunogi Himawari, and I was in love with him even then,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Yuusuke said.

* * *

Some time later Doumeki, Watanuki, Yuusuke, Miyuki and Kagemaru came out of the temple gate, Doumeki dressed in a black silk haori with white tapes and emblems of crossed arrows in a circle neatly embroidered in white silk on both sides of the chest, both shoulders and back, hakama of gray striped silk, light green silk kimono, white tabi and setta sandals with white straps, a white bamboo fan in his hand, Watanuki dressed in a pale rose kimono becoming dark rose on the hem and bottom of the long sleeves, with branches of roses with red, pink and yellow flowers and yellow birds with red crests, Yuusuke and Miyuki dressed as usually.

'You look so handsome, Shizuka-san and Kimihiro-san,' Yuusuke said. 'You are such a good couple.'

Watanuki blushed.

They walked through the bamboo forest and suddenly saw a tall pine tree reaching to the sky where there were no pine trees before.

'Eh? Are we lost?' Watanuki said.

Yuusuke laughed.

'Don't worry, we aren't. This is a trick of some kitsune or tanuki,' Doumeki said.

As he said that, the pine tree disappeared, and a fox darted into the bamboo thicket.

Watanuki shook his head.

* * *

In Anzhou, Kagemaru led them to a large ornate building with red and green stripes and swinging lanterns on the facade and large roof tower with a black ginkgo leaf curtain.

'Minami-za,' Kagemaru said.

Doumeki nodded.

There were long vertical signboards listing the plays and barkers on a raised stage near the entrance, imitating the voices of the actors and pointing their fans at passers-by. Doumeki looked at the signboards attentively.

'Here's a very good one, Asagao Nikki,' Doumeki said.

'Morning Glory Diary?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

Doumeki confidently asked the ticket seller for five tickets. The ticket seller sold him five tickets and said:

'What a beautiful couple!'

Doumeki nodded. Watanuki blushed.

They entered a cavernous hall with a stage, a side stage and a lot of boxes with low wooden walls and five cushions on the floor in each one. Doumeki led them to one of the boxes and sat down on one of the cushions. Watanuki sat down on the one beside Doumeki. Yuusuke and Miyuki sat down on another two cushions that were side by side. Kagemaru settled on the fifth cushion.

The play started with Miyagi Asojirou, a handsome young samurai, and Lady Miyuki, a beautiful and noble maiden, both boating on Uji River and admiring fireflies. Wind blew a poem that Asojirou wrote into Lady Miyuki's boat, and the two met. Asojirou wrote a poem about a morning glory on Lady Miyuki's fan before parting.

'So that's why the play is called Asagao Nikki!' Watanuki said.

'That's not all there is to it. Watch on,' Doumeki said.

'Did you choose this play because my name is Miyuki, Doumeki-san?' Miyuki smiled.

'No, just because it's beautiful,' Doumeki said.

'You are straightforward as always, Doumeki-san.' Miyuki smiled.

'What are the characters of your name, Miyuki-san?' Yuusuke asked.

'Beautiful snow,' Miyuki said. 'And yours, Yuusuke-san?'

'Brave and help.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Fitting.' Miyuki smiled.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'Your name is beautiful, Miyuki-san.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Thank you, Yuusuke-san.' Miyuki smiled.

'The youth who plays Miyuki-sama is beautiful, but you are much more beautiful, Kimihiro,' Doumeki said.

'Stop this! You have no shame!' Watanuki said.

'There is absolutely nothing wrong about saying that your lover is the most beautiful person in the world,' Doumeki said.

'I am not, really,' Watanuki said.

'But you are,' Doumeki said and nuzzled Watanuki's neck.

* * *

They watched on. Events conspired to keep Lady Miyuki and Asojirou apart, but they met again as they both were about to sail from the port of Akashi. Asojirou heard someone singing the poem about the morning glory and was overjoyed to find that it was Lady Miyuki. Lady Miyuki decided to part from her father and go with Asojirou to Kamakura, but before she could go from her boat to his, wind blew them apart. Lady Miyuki tossed the fan with the poem to Asojirou as a keepsake.

The curtain fell.

'End of the first act,' Doumeki said. 'Kimihiro, go to the teahouse nearby and bring me bento.'

'Who do you think you are!' Watanuki said, but went out.

* * *

Watanuki came to the teahouse. The teahouse had bright lanterns on the facade, shoji sliding walls, tatami floor and many people sitting on the tatami floor and eating, waiters and waitresses coursing between the customers. Watanuki called a waitress and asked for a bento.

'Want to eat something while watching the play?'

Watanuki turned and saw a tall, slender young man in a black kimono with bunches of yellow, white and red chrysanthemums and a haori of fine paper with poems in beautiful kanji and landscapes and with lining of fabric, his hair black, short and tied in a knot and his forehead shaven and a red and white chrysanthemum tattooed on his cheek.

'My oaf of a lover sent me to buy a bento, the bottomless pit,' Watanuki said.

'So why do you stick with him?' the young man asked.

'I like him,' Watanuki said.

'I see,' the young man said. 'Sit with me for a bit.'

Watanuki sat down near the young man.

'I am Akamatsuya Yoshihiko, a fashionable tailor,' the young man said.

'I am Watanuki Kimihiro, an acolyte from Awamorishouma-in,' Watanuki said.

'Awamorishouma-in? So it isn't abandoned anymore, then,' Yoshihiko said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'Who is your lover?' Yoshihiko asked.

'Another priest, Doumeki Shizuka,' Watanuki said. 'He's blunt, but he always protects me.'

Yoshihiko nodded.

'The old saying about shoemaker being barefoot is clearly not about you, Akamatsuya-san,' Watanuki said.

'How can a good tailor be dressed badly?' Yoshihiko said. 'These are my own work.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'And call me Yoshihiko.'

'Yes, Yoshihiko-san.' Watanuki smiled.

'You are powerful, Kimihiro-san,' Yoshihiko said.

'And you aren't human, Yoshihiko-san,' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Yoshihiko smiled. 'I am a kumo-otoko.'

'A spider man?' Watanuki said. 'You aren't a relative of Jorogumo?'

'We are a different race, though distantly related to them,' Yoshihiko said. 'We are peaceful and like beautiful fabric the most.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'You are beautiful in this kimono, Kimihiro-san,' Yoshihiko said.

'Thank you.' Watanuki blushed.

'Asagao Nikki is beautiful, isn't it?' Yoshihiko said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'I'll come to Awamorishouma-in to visit you,' Yoshihiko said.

'You are welcome,' Watanuki said.

'Here's my card,' Yoshihiko said and produced a card out of his sleeve. Watanuki took the card with both hands and looked at it. There were words 'Akamatsuya Yoshihiko, tailor' written beautifully on it. Yoshihiko's surname was written with the characters for 'Japanese Red Pine Shop' and his given name was written with the characters for 'peaceful youth'.

At this point, the waitress brought the bento.

'See you later, Yoshihiko-san,' Watanuki said.

'See you later.' Yoshihiko smiled.

Watanuki took the bento and left the teahouse.

* * *

Watanuki brought the bento to their box, shoved it to Doumeki and sat down. Doumeki immediately started to eat the bento.

The curtain opened. Lady Miyuki has gone blind with weeping for her lover and fled from home and was now wandering the country playing koto and calling herself Asagao. In an inn in Shimada she chanced upon Asojirou. But he was on a secret mission and couldn't reveal his identity to her. He left her some money, a medicine and an explanation and departed.

When Lady Miyuki knew it was Asojirou, she ran to the Oi River that he was to cross, but she was late. She was about to drown herself in the river, but the kind innkeeper gave his blood to cure her, sacrificing his life. Her sight was returned, and she was reunited with Asojirou.

The curtain fell.

'I have a feeling that my mother was called after a flower also,' Watanuki said.

'Really?' Miyuki asked. 'Sumire? Nadeshiko? Fuyo? Fuji? Ayame? Tsubaki? Suzuran? Yuri? Ren? Mokuren? Suisen? Momo? Satsuki? Tanpopo? Kiku? Sumomo? Ajisai? Botan? Ran?'

Watanuki shook his head.

'Sakura?' Miyuki asked.

'Yes!' Watanuki said.

'The most beautiful flower of all.' Miyuki smiled. 'Was she very beautiful?'

'Yes. She had large green eyes and auburn hair.' Watanuki smiled.

Miyuki smiled.

Watanuki, Doumeki, Yuusuke, Miyuki and Kagemaru rose and left the theater.

* * *

Some days later Yuusuke was about to leave. Yuusuke, Watanuki, Doumeki, Miyuki, Kagemaru and Komachi had tea with okonomiyaki. Then Watanuki took his moon zither and sang Yangguan San Die, Farewell at Yangguan.

'In the central town Weicheng, it rains lightly in the morning. All the houses and willows look fresh after the rain. I suggest you have another cup of wine, as soon as you go out of the Yangguan Pass, there are no friends.'

'I am not going to war with the nomads in the western desert, like the poet Wang Wei's friend.' Yuusuke smiled. 'I am just going to travel about the country, as always. There are plenty of friends in the Celestial Empire.'

'I suppose so.' Watanuki smiled.

'I'll use my magic to visit you on every festival. You'll get tired of me yet.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Hardly.' Watanuki smiled.

'Miyuki-san, would you like to go with me?' Yuusuke asked.

'Gladly.' Miyuki smiled.

Yuusuke and Miyuki rose and went out side by side. Watanuki, Doumeki, Kagemaru and Komachi rose too. They walked along the garden path leading to the gate. When they came to the gate, Yuusuke and Miyuki walked out of the gate together and strolled away. Watanuki looked at them till they disappeared in the distance.


	6. Chapter 6

To Shinigami: The Amenosa had the power to punish magistrates and governors as they deemed necessary and to authorize others to act on their behalf. About Watanuki I really don't know. He likes to pretend he doesn't like Doumeki, you know.

The oath in this chapter is an authentic Chinese oath. I am happy to say that sworn brotherhood is still common in China.

The country, Eastern Wu, is approximately the southeast part of China south of Yangtze, with Nanking, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Canton and part of Vietnam. Their capital is Nanking, but it is called Jianye.

* * *

Some days before September 23, the Day of the Autumnal Equinox, Watanuki made dango and went to the forest to pick pinks, balloonflowers, kudzu, pampas grass, bush clover, boneset and patrinia. He returned and made bouquets with these plants and put the bouquets in the tokonoma everywhere in the house. Later, when Watanuki was sitting and playing High Mountain and Running Water on his moon zither, Kagemaru appeared.

'Kagemaru-san, how do people make the oath of sworn brotherhood here?' Watanuki asked.

'Well, they read aloud a printed oath and sign their names and birth dates in a temple, and later have a feast. These oaths are elaborate and beautifully printed and sold everywhere,' Kagemaru said.

'Hmm, birth date,' Watanuki said. 'But I wasn't born here. I don't suppose the fifth year of the Heisei Era would mean anything to you?'

'No,' Kagemaru said. 'What's the Heisei Era?'

'It's the reign of our Emperor,' Watanuki said.

Kagemaru nodded.

'So you see,' Watanuki said.

'But you can use your year sign,' Kagemaru said. 'You do have them where you are from, do you?'  
'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'I'm a Black Rooster.'

'And so is Doumeki-kun, right?' Kagemaru said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

* * *

Some time later Watanuki, Doumeki and Kagemaru went to the market. Watanuki was in a white kimono with balloonflowers, pampas grass, bush clovers and chrysanthemums, and Doumeki was in gray hakama and a white kimono, as always. At the market, Watanuki bought some clams, ajipon, nanami, ichimi, yam and fava beans. Then he steered to a stall with books and pictures. He looked attentively at the goods and saw a printed oath in beautiful script and beautifully worded.

'How much is this one, please?' Watanuki asked the merchant.

'So you finally decided to tie the knot, eh?' The bookseller grinned.

'No!' Watanuki blushed. 'I want to make a plain oath of sworn brotherhood with a dear friend of mine.'

'Oh?' the bookseller said.

'But give me a second copy. I'll keep it,' Watanuki said.

The bookseller smiled.

Doumeki stared at Watanuki.

'Stop staring!' Watanuki said.

* * *

One day Watanuki was dusting furniture in the kitchen when something like a fine scarf of lilac fabric flew inside and curled around Watanuki's shoulders. It felt soft and warm.

'Who are you?' Watanuki asked.

'I'm an ittan momen,' the scarf said.

'A length of cotton?' Watanuki smiled. 'A good name.'

'I want to stay here,' the ittan momen said.

'Do you have a name?' Watanuki asked.

'No,' the ittan momen said.

'What about Sumire-chan?' Watanuki said.

'I like it,' the ittan momen said.

'Good.' Watanuki smiled.

* * *

On September 23, Watanuki cleaned the house and cooked what needed to be cooked at the last moment. Then he waited.

The Zhous came first.

Kagemaru appeared and Komachi came from somewhere.

'Konnichiwa,' Watanuki said. 'This is Sumire-chan.'

He patted Sumire who was wrapped around his shoulders.

'What a cutie!' Shuin said.

'And this is Ono no Komachi-chan,' Watanuki said.

The Zhous looked at Komachi and noticed her two tails.

'A nekomata!?'

'Nekomata can be good or bad, like humans,' Watanuki said. 'The people she lived with threw her out when she became a nekomata, but she didn't do them any harm. I named her Ono no Komachi-chan because she's so graceful.'

'Oh,' Lady Wei said.

'And my friends are Zhou Yi-san, Wei Yuhua-san, Zhou Wen-san and Zhou Shuin-san,' Watanuki said.

Komachi flicked her tails.

'Please sit down,' Watanuki said. The Zhous sat down.

The air shimmered, and appeared Yuusuke and Miyuki.

'Konnichiwa.' Yuusuke smiled.

Miyuki bowed.

'Konnichiwa,' Watanuki said. 'Miyuki-san, my friends are Zhou Yi-san, Wei Yuhua-san, Zhou Wen-san and Zhou Shuin-san and Sumire-chan.'

'Hajimemashite,' Miyuki said.

'This is Saitou Miyuki-san, she is traveling with Yuusuke-san,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Lady Wei said.

'Please sit down,' Watanuki said. Yuusuke and Miyuki sat down.

Shirayuki entered, waving his five tails. He smiled and said, 'Konnichiwa.'

Komachi flicked her tails.

'Shirayuki-san, this is Sumire-chan,' Watanuki said. 'Sumire-chan, this is Shirayuki-san.'

'Shirayuki-san,' Komachi said and flicked her tails.

'Komachi-chan.' Shirayuki smiled.

Shirayuki sat down near Komachi.

'What a beautiful bouquet, Watanuki-san, balloonflowers, miscanthus and pinks!' Lady Wei said.

'Thank you.' Watanuki blushed.

'Oh, have you heard that Yang Ban, the magistrate of Liuzhou, is dead?' Lady Wei said. 'They say he tried to violate a young beautiful acolyte, but the acolyte's lover, the other priest, shot Yang Ban with a bow! And they also say an Amenosa was there and allowed the archer to shoot Yang Ban! And Liuzhou has a new magistrate now. Watanuki-san, don't tell me the beautiful young acolyte was you, and the archer was Doumeki-san!'

'Unfortunately yes,' Watanuki said.

'Oh!' Lady Wei said. 'I knew it! And who was the Amenosa?'

'That would be me.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Oh! Yuusuke-sama, really?' Lady Wei said.

'Don't call me sama, please,' Yuusuke said. 'I'm just a komusoh who happens to be an Amenosa.'

'Yuusuke-sama!' Lady Wei said.

'Please don't tell Himawari-chan about this,' Watanuki said. 'She will be upset. She brings bad luck to everyone. It's not her fault, she's cursed. She bears it very well.'

'Oh!' Lady Wei said.

'How did it happen, Watanuki-san?' Shuin asked.

'Yang Ban came as a guest to our house,' Watanuki said. 'We received him. He made advances on me. I let him know that I don't want him. He said he wanted to retire. I showed him to his room. He said he wanted me to stay with him a bit. I stayed. He continued to make advances on me. I declined. He told his guards to seize me. I cried for Shizuka. Shizuka came with his bow. Yuusuke-san, Miyuki-san and Komachi-chan came too. Komachi-chan just waved her tails and all the guards froze! Yang Ban tried to intimidate Shizuka, but Yuusuke-san showed his seal. Then Shizuka shot Yang Ban. I hope my ring helped Shizuka.'

'Yes it did,' Doumeki said. 'It's a fine one.'

Watanuki blushed.

'Awww!' Lady Wei said.

'So you see, Komachi-chan isn't evil.' Watanuki smiled. 'She defended me.'

The guests nodded.

'Yuusuke-sama, can you show your seal?' Lady Wei asked.

'Of course.' Yuusuke smiled, reached into his kimono and showed the pentagonal pendant with pentagram and Yin and Yang symbol.

'Ara!' Lady Wei said.

'I keep it on a steel chain around my neck for safety,' Yuusuke said.

The others nodded.

At this point air shimmered and appeared Yuuko with Mokona and Mugetsu, Himawari with Tanpopo, Kohane, Mitsuki-san, Ame-Warashi and Zashiki-Warashi. Yuuko, Himawari, Kohane, Mitsuki-san, Ame-Warashi and Zashiki-Warashi were all dressed in kimono with miscanthus, pinks, balloonflowers, kudzu, patrinia, boneset and bush clover.

'Full house!' Yuuko grinned.

'Not yet,' Watanuki corrected. 'We are waiting for Minoru-sama, Yuzuki-sama, Hirugao-sama, Asagao-sama and Zhuge-san.'

'Whatever,' Yuuko said.

'Erm, meet Saitou Miyuki-san, Ono no Komachi-chan and Sumire-chan,' Watanuki said.

'Sumire-chan is so cute!' Himawari beamed. 'And Komachi-chan is so graceful! But...is she a Siamese with two tails???'

'Komachi-chan is a nekomata,' Watanuki explained. 'A cat who lived so long that she gained magical powers.'

'Oh,' Himawari said.

'Miyuki-san, Komachi-chan, Sumire-chan, my friends are Ichihara Yuuko-san, Kunogi Himawari-chan, Tsuyuri Kohane-chan, Abe Mitsuki-san, Ame-Warashi-san, Zashiki-Warashi-san, Mokona-chan, Mugetsu-chan and Tanpopo-chan,' Watanuki said.

'Tanpopo-chan, Mugetsu-chan and Mokona-chan are so cute.' Miyuki smiled. 'What is Mugetsu-chan? A kitsune?'

'A kudagitsune,' Watanuki said. 'He can turn into a large beautiful fox with many tails.'

'Oh,' Miyuki said. 'And what is Mokona-chan?'

'Mokona is a Mokona!' Mokona said.

'Oh,' Miyuki said.

'Let's play Hyaku Monogatari!' Yuuko said.

'All right.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Please sit down,' Watanuki said.

The newcomers sat down.

'Watanuki, you first,' Yuuko ordered.

'Why me!?' Watanuki said.

'Because,' Yuuko said.

'All right,' Watanuki grumbled. 'I'll tell you how I saw Hyakki Yakou, the Ghost Parade. Once, when I was cleaning the storeroom where Yuuko-san keeps artifacts, I was dusting around a picture of a cat in a kimono holding a flower of Chinese lantern, and suddenly the cat came out of the picture. She went to Yuuko-san. It turned out they were old friends, and the cat was called Akari-san. Akari-san wanted to give the Chinese lantern to Yuuko-san, but Yuuko-san told her to give it to me. Yuuko-san said that two people have to carry the Chinese lantern, holding hands. I asked Himawari-chan to carry the Chinese lantern with me, but she said she was busy. So I had to go with Doumeki. We went where Yuuko-san told us to go, and we saw a lot of spirits! Birds, flying fishes, things like mallets and sandals, creatures like horses, kitsune, will o' the wisps, all kinds of strange things! All of them were in a procession. Each of them carried a Chinese lantern like us. Doumeki and me joined them. Someone told us to hurry because we were late. We went somewhere with the procession of spirits. We came to a large tree with beautiful flowers. Then I tripped and let go of Doumeki's hand. The spirits shouted, 'Humans! Kill them!' But a little kitsune from a food stall I visit told them I was a good person and showed them an arrow Doumeki gave me and I gave to the little fox. The spirits calmed down. The tree told us to approach it, and filled our Chinese lantern with nectar. We returned to Yuuko-san, and we drank the nectar together - Yuuko-san, Himawari-chan, Doumeki and me. The nectar was delicious.'

'You looked good together,' Shirayuki said. 'You were even dressed alike!'

'It was the uniform of the school we went to,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Shirayuki said. 'But you still looked good together.'

'You did,' Kagemaru said.

'Himawari-chan, were you really busy that time?' Watanuki asked. 'Don't worry, everyone here knows about you and sympathizes with you.'

'Oh?' Himawari said. 'No, I wasn't busy. I just wanted you to be safe, Watanuki-kun. I was afraid that something awful would happen if I go with you. And with Doumeki-kun you are safe.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'What do you mean yes!?' Watanuki said.

Everyone smiled.

'May I tell a story now?' Kohane asked.

'Of course, Kohane-chan.' Watanuki smiled.

'All right,' Kohane said. 'One time I used to come to a sakura tree. It was a large beautiful tree, and a spirit lived among its branches, a noble lady, in robes of many layers and many colors over a white kimono and red hakama and with very long straight hair. Once Kimihiro-kun came to the tree. I could see he saw the lady too, I knew that he had powers like mine. I said that I knew he could see her, that he was like me. We asked for each other's names. And even our names were alike, my surname Tsuyuri written as May Seventh, and his surname Watanuki written as April First. He asked if he could call me Kohane-chan. I agreed. I told him that people were going to exorcise the spirit that lived in the tree. He said he knew a place where she could live peacefully. Later he led me to that place. It was the temple of Doumeki-kun's family, a beautiful ancient temple with a large lovely garden, like this one. We persuaded the spirit of the lady to move there, so she could live peacefully there. She settled in Doumeki-kun's temple.'

'Kimihiro-san and Kohane-chan are really alike.' Yuusuke smiled. 'The same powers and similar names.'

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'Do you remember what I told you, Kimihiro-san?' Yuusuke asked.

'Yes,' Watanuki said and took a deep breath. 'Kohane-chan, would you make an oath of sworn brotherhood with me?'

'Of course, Kimihiro-kun!' Kohane smiled.

'We'll wait for Asagao-sama, Hirugao-sama, Minoru-sama, Yuzuki-sama and Zhuge-san, and when everyone shall be here, we'll make our oath and then celebrate, all right?' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Kohane smiled.

Everyone smiled too.

At this point came Mr Zhuge, but he wasn't alone. With him was Akamatsuya Yoshihiko in a black kimono with bunches of blue, pink and yellow flowers and in a haori of fine paper with poems written in beautiful characters.

'Yoshihiko-san!' Watanuki said.

'I said I'll visit you.' Yoshihiko smiled.

'Who is this?' Doumeki frowned.

'This is Akamatsuya Yoshihiko, a tailor from Anzhou,' Watanuki said. 'We met in the teahouse when you sent me for bento.'

'So he's the one who sent you for the bento.' Yoshihiko smiled.

'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'Yoshihiko-san, my friends are Zhou Yi-san, Wei Yuhua-san, Zhou Wen-san, Zhou Shuin-san, Kudou Yuusuke-san, Saitou Miyuki-san, Ono no Komachi-chan, Sumire-chan, Kagemaru-san, Shirayuki-san, Ichihara Yuuko-san, Kunogi Himawari-chan, Tsuyuri Kohane-chan, Abe Mitsuki-san, Zashiki-Warashi-san, Ame-Warashi-san, Mokona-chan, Mugetsu-chan, Tanpopo-chan and Doumeki Shizuka.'

'Doumeki Shizuka, eh?' Yoshihiko said.

'Kagemaru-san, Yuusuke-san and Miyuki-san were at the theater with us that day,' Watanuki said.

'Really?' Yoshihiko said.

'You were at a theater?' Lady Wei asked. 'What kind, and what were you watching?'

'Kabuki,' Watanuki said. 'And the play was Asagao Nikki.'

'It's a beautiful play,' Lady Wei said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

Yoshihiko and Mr Zhuge sat down.

'Why you aren't dressed for the Day of the Autumnal Equinox, Yoshihiko-san?' Watanuki asked.

'I've always liked unusual things.' Yoshihiko smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'We are playing Hyaku Monogatari here,' Yuuko said.

'All right,' Yoshihiko said.

'Now I'll tell a story,' Yuusuke said. 'Once I was walking across a moor, and suddenly something attacked me very swiftly. I managed to see it was three weasels wielding sickles and rolling through the air. I defended with my flute. They were great fighters, I must say, and gave me many painful cuts. And then they disappeared as suddenly. I guess they were the famous kamaitachi, sickle weasels. What they wanted, I don't know. Maybe they just enjoy fighting? I know I enjoyed fighting with them. I hope to see them again.'

'Amazing, Yuusuke-sama!' Lady Wei said.

'Sama?' Yoshihiko asked.

'Yuusuke-sama is an Amenosa,' Lady Wei explained.

Oh no, Watanuki thought, here it goes.

'An Amenosa?' Yoshihiko asked. 'Don't tell me that archer who shot Yang Ban were you, Doumeki-san, and the acolyte that you defended was Watanuki-san!'

'Yes it was,' Watanuki said.

'Watanuki-kun! I hexed you!' Himawari exclaimed.

'It isn't your fault, Himawari-chan,' Watanuki said firmly. 'It isn't your fault that you are cursed.'

'Watanuki-kun...' Himawari said.

'If someone thinks badly of Himawari- chan, I'll close my house to them, understood?' Watanuki said.

'Nobody here is going to blame her, Watanuki-san,' Lady Wei said.

'Good,' Watanuki said.

'See, I told you not to call me sama,' Yuusuke said.

'I'm sorry, it seems I created a commotion,' Yoshihiko said.

'It's all right, you couldn't have known,' Watanuki said.

'You have a very beautiful thumb ring, Doumeki-san, dark jade and flowers in gold,' Yoshihiko said.

'It was Kimihiro's gift to me,' Doumeki said. 'I have third dan in archery.'

'Kimihiro-san knows how to make good choices,' Yoshihiko said. 'You both are very fortunate.'

'I didn't choose him,' Watanuki grumbled. 'He just latched onto me like a leech.'

'Leeches are beneficial, you know, Kimihiro-san,' Yoshihiko said.

'But they still suck blood,' Watanuki said.

'Can I tell a story now?' Yoshihiko said.

'All right,' Yoshihiko said. 'Once I was walking along a river bank, and saw a beautiful woman who was washing her fine long hair in the river. When I approached, she suddenly changed. She now had long snake tail, and her eyes were snake eyes too, and her nails were long like claws. I bowed and smiled to her, and she suddenly disappeared. I guess she was a nure-onna.'

'Of course,' Watanuki said.

'Nure-onna?' Watanuki asked.

'A kind of mermaid,' Doumeki explained.

Watanuki nodded.

At this point in the doorway formed by the fusuma appeared Minoru holding hands with Lady Hirugao and behind them Yuzuki holding hands with Lady Asagao. Yuzuki's eyes and hair were lilac.

'What?' Watanuki said.

'I went to a witch and she made my eyes and hair lilac as I asked.' Yuzuki smiled.

'It's beautiful,' Watanuki said. 'I hope the witch didn't charge you an arm and a leg.'

'Hey!' Yuuko said. 'When did I charge arms and legs?'

'Well, you did charge an eye,' Watanuki said.

'Well, you wanted to remove the cobweb from Doumeki-kun's eye,' Yuuko said. 'And Doumeki-kun gave you half of his eye.'

'So your brown eye is a half of Doumeki-san's eye?' Lady Wei said. 'I always thought it was unusual that you have one blue eye and one brown.'

'Yes, it is,' Watanuki said.

'How romantic!' Shuin said.

'All right, as everyone is here, I want you to witness my oath of sworn brotherhood to Kohane-chan here,' Watanuki said.

'How wonderful!' Lady Hirugao said.

'Of course,' Minoru said.

'I'll be happy to,' Yoshihiko said.

Everyone stood up. Watanuki walked to Kohane and offered his hand to her. Kohane smiled and took it. They walked out, and everyone followed them.

'All right then, let's go to the great hall,' Watanuki said.

* * *

Watanuki with Kohane and the guests following them walked along the garden path to the great hall. They entered the great hall. The guests crowded along the walls, and Watanuki with Kohane went to the altar.

There was the beautifully printed oath lying on the altar. Watanuki looked at it, smiled and read aloud.

'We, people of the same thoughts and aspirations, burn incense before Buddha, and wish to bind ourselves with the fragrance of the golden orchids, in accordance with the example set before us in the Peach Garden. Though born at different times, we wish to die at the same time, month, year and day. If there be riches, we shall spend them together. If there be misfortune, we shall suffer together. If happiness shine upon us, we shall enjoy it together. If our hearts be not one, but two, let spirits punish us.'

He smiled.

'Now, Kohane-chan,' he said.

Kohane blushed and read the oath aloud too.

'Now, let's sign it,' Watanuki said. 'Name and birth date. Use your year sign, Kohane-chan.'

'All right,' Kohane said.

Watanuki took a brush that was lying beside the oath, dipped it into an inkwell that was standing beside the oath too, and signed, 'Watanuki Kimihiro, born on April First in the year of the Black Rooster.'

'Kohane-chan,' he said.

Kohane took the brush, dipped it into the inkwell and wrote, 'Tsuyuri Kohane, born on May Seventh in the year of the Red Ox.'

'I'm seventeen, I'll be the older brother,' Watanuki said.

'I'm thirteen,' Kohane said.

Watanuki leaned and embraced Kohane.

'Oniisan,' Kohane said.

'Kohane-chan,' Watanuki said.

Everyone smiled.

'Congratulations, Watanuki-kun, Kohane-chan,' Himawari said.

'Congratulations.' Yuusuke smiled.

'Congratulations,' Yoshihiko said.

'Congratulations!' Yuuko said.

Watanuki looked at the oath lying on the altar and smiled.

* * *

Watanuki hand in hand with Kohane and the guests walked back to the house. The guests and Kohane sat down.

'Please wait a little, I'll bring the food,' Watanuki said and went out. Some time later he returned with a large tray with dishes of food, bowls, cups of tea and chopsticks and put it on the floor. In the dishes there were dango, grated tororo-imo (yam) with wasabi, soy sauce and tuna sashimi, soramame (fava beans) boiled with sake, sakamushi - clams steamed in sake with minced garlic and ginger and garnished with green onions and soy sauce, yu-dofu - tofu boiled with konbu, chicken, shiitake mushrooms and green onions and garnished with ajipon, ichimi and nanami, baked sweet potatoes with soy sauce mixed with grated ginger, Sunrise sushi - sushi wrapped with tuna sashimi instead of nori and with tobiko and quail egg yolk on top, fried chicken with karaage powder, daikon nimono - daikon boiled with konbu, soy sauce, sake and sugar and tsukune - meat patties of ground chicken, minced onion, egg, minced ginger, minced shiitake mushrooms, sake and salt in a sauce of mirin, sake and soy sauce.

'Wow!' Yoshihiko said.

Watanuki sat down beside Kohane. Kohane put her head on his shoulder. Watanuki embraced her with one arm.

'Awww!' Yuuko said.

'This is delicious,' Yoshihiko said, tasting the sakamushi. 'You're a great cook too, Kimihiro-san!'

'He can play moon zither too,' Yuusuke said, winking.

Watanuki glared at him.

'So talented!' Yoshihiko said. 'It's a pity you can't be mine, Kimihiro-san.'

'_April weather_, _sun and rain together_,' Yuuko said in English. Himawari and Kohane smiled.

'What?' Yuusuke said.

Yuuko repeated in Japanese.

'It's an English saying,' she said. 'Suits Watanuki very well, don't you think?'

'Yes.' Yuusuke smiled. 'Eipuriru bezaa, san en rein tsugezaa, eh?'

Minoru tasted the Sunrise sushi.

'What a wonderful new kind of sushi! Did you invent it, Watanuki-san?'

'No.' Watanuki blushed. 'It's a kind of sushi invented by some Westerners who like sushi. It's called Sunrise sushi.'

'Amazing,' Minoru said.

'I'll make some for you, Minoru-san,' Lady Hirugao said.

'Thank you, Hirugao-chan.' Minoru smiled.

'Yuuko-san, can you bring some avocadoes next time?' Watanuki asked.

'Sure,' Yuuko said.

'What are avocadoes?' Yuusuke asked.

'A kind of fruit from faraway lands,' Watanuki explained. 'Westerners make two very good kinds of sushi with them - Dragon roll and Rainbow roll. If I have avocadoes, I'll make those.'

'Oh,' Yuusuke said.

Doumeki sat, sipping his sake and looking at the bouquet in the tokonoma and at the kimono with the seven plants of autumn.

'Flowers blossoming in autumn fields -

When I count them on my fingers

Then they number seven.

The flowers of bush clover,

Miscanthus, kudzu,

Pink, patrinia,

Also boneset

And balloonflower.'

'Yuuko-san, you must like this meal,' Watanuki said. 'So much sake in the food, and plenty of sake just so as well.'

'Yes.' Yuuko smiled broadly.

'Mokona too!' Mokona said.

'And no doubt you too, bottomless pit,' Watanuki said.

'Yes,' Doumeki said calmly.

'I've watched a play where the main character, Miyuki-sama, called herself Asagao-san for some time. Perhaps you know the play, Asagao-sama, it's called Asagao Nikki.'

'Of course I know it.' Asagao smiled. 'It's a famous play. So beautiful! Asojirou-san and Miyuki-san...so moving!'

'What are the differences between the taking an oath of sworn brotherhood and a wedding between two men?' Watanuki asked.

'Well, Three Letters and Six Ceremonies, of course,' Yuusuke said.

'Three Letters and Six Ceremonies?' Watanuki asked.

'Three Letters are Betrothal Letter, Gift Letter and Wedding Letter,' Doumeki said. 'Betrothal Letter is the formal document of the engagement. Gift Letter is enclosed to the bride's family, listing types and quantity of gifts for the wedding, once both parties accept the marriage. The Wedding Letter is prepared and presented to the bride's family on the day of the wedding to confirm and commemorate the formal acceptance of the bride into the bridegroom's family. Of the Six Ceremonies the first is the proposal, through a matchmaker. The second is birthday matching. The matchmaker would ask for the bride's birthday to assure the compatibility of the parties. The third is presenting betrothal gifts. The matchmaker is sent to present betrothal gifts, enclosing the betrothal letter. The fourth is presenting wedding gifts. Wedding gifts would be sent to the bride's family. Usually gifts may include tea, lotus seeds, longan, red beans, green beans, red dates, nutmeg, orange, pomegranate, lily, bridal cakes, coconuts, wine, red hair braid, money box and other things. The fifth is picking auspicious wedding date. An astrologist or astrology book would be consulted to select auspicious date to hold the wedding ceremony. And the sixth is the wedding ceremony itself.'

'The ceremony is the same as the taking of the oath of sworn brotherhood,' Yuusuke said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'I would think you would get many proposals already, Kimihiro-san.' Yoshihiko smiled.

'No,' Watanuki said.

'Then they were fools,' Yoshihiko said.

'I can check your compatibility and pick an auspicious date,' Mr Zhuge said.

'Thank you, Zhuge-san.' Watanuki smiled.

'I'll make you a wedding kimono, Kimihiro-san,' Yoshihiko said. 'You'll be the most beautiful bride in the Celestial Empire.

'Thank you, Yoshihiko-san,' Kimihiro said.

'Kimihiro-san, Shizuka-san once said that your sign was a Fire sign, but you are Black or Water Rooster,' Yuusuke said.

'He meant my Western sign,' Watanuki said. 'In Western astrology there are twelve month signs, after twelve constellations. My sign is Aries, the Ram, it's a Fire sign. Doumeki's sign is Pisces, the Fish, it's a Water sign.'

'A ram and a fish, eh?' Yuusuke said. 'Fitting.'

'Very,' Yuuko said.

'Hey!' Watanuki said.

'That was a beautiful oath,' Yuzuki said.

'I have a second copy.' Watanuki smiled.

'Ooh!' Yuuko said.

'You and Kohane-chan are really so alike, even your names, Watanuki-san,' Yuzuki said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'I would say it's a strange coincidence, but Yuuko-san says there are no coincidences, only destiny.'

'They say that if two people drink from one spring, they were destined to,' Doumeki said.

'It's true,' Yuusuke said.

'It's a lovely temple you have here,' Yoshihiko said.

'Thank you,' Watanuki said.

'Watanuki-san and Doumeki-san are such a good couple,' Yuzuki said.

'Yes, Yuzuki-chan.' Lady Asagao smiled.

Yoshihiko looked at the almost empty dishes and bowls.

'Can you play moon zither a bit now, Kimihiro-san?'

'Of course,' Watanuki said.

He rose, went out and some time later returned with his moon zither. He sat down and began to play High Mountain and Running Water.

'Beautiful,' Yoshihiko said.

'So you can play moon zither too, Watanuki-san!' Lady Wei said. 'So many talents!'

Watanuki blushed.

'Now let's play mahjong!' Yuuko said.

'What a beautiful moon!' Yuuko said.

They played mahjong until the moon rose, round, white and large.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'The moon of Shubun no Hi is the best,' Yuuko said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'Watanuki, bring sake!' Yuuko said.

'For Mokona too!' Mokona said.

'And for me,' Doumeki said.

'Again!?' Watanuki said.

He went out and returned carrying a tray with a bottle and three cups.

Yuuko poured herself some sake and watched the moon. Doumeki and Mokona followed suit.

* * *

One day, when Watanuki and Doumeki were playing Hanafuda, in the doorway formed by the fusuma appeared a tall, broad-shouldered young man with short black hair and large black eyes, in a sophisticated black hat with a tall protrusion and jingles on both sides and in a dark blue shimmering wide closed robe with ornaments, white loose trousers and straw boots, with a sword in black lacquer sheath at his belt, a quiver with arrows on his back and a bow in his right hand. There was a spirit scorpion sitting on his arm.

Watanuki jumped to his feet and bowed.

'I'm Watanuki Kimihiro, and this is Doumeki Shizuka,' Watanuki said.

The newcomer bowed too.

'I'm Ryuudou Hajime of the Imperial Guards,' he said.

'Pleased to meet you,' Watanuki said.

'Fujiwara no Minoru-san said that you can exorcise spirits,' Hajime said. 'I am the best archer at court, but lately my strength has diminished, and I feel weakness. Can you help me?'

'Of course,' Watanuki said. 'I can see a spirit scorpion on your arm. Doumeki can exorcise it.'

'Oh,' Hajime said.

'Please come in,' Watanuki said.

Hajime came in.

'Please stand still so that Doumeki can shoot the scorpion,' Watanuki said.

'Yes,' Hajime said.

Hajime stood perfectly still while Doumeki went out, returned with his bow, drew the bowstring, aimed and released the bowstring. A shining arrow of white light flew to the scorpion and hit it. The scorpion dissolved.

'Oh, I feel much stronger now,' Hajime said. 'Thank you. You are a very good archer, Doumeki-san. We can hold a contest later.'

'All right,' Doumeki said.

'Please sit down, Ryuudou-san,' Watanuki said. 'I'll bring some food.'

Hajime sat down.

'Please call me Hajime,' he said.

'All right, Hajime-san,' Watanuki said.

Watanuki went out and some time later returned with a tray with three bowls of baked sweet potatoes dipped in soy sauce mixed with grated ginger, three сups of osmanthus tea and three pairs of chopsticks. He put the tray on the floor and sat down.

Hajime tasted the baked sweet potatoes.

'That's delicious,' Hajime said. 'You are really a very good cook, Kimihiro- san.'

'A beautiful thumb ring, dark jade and gold,' Hajime said.

'Thank you,' Watanuki said.

'It's Kimihiro's gift,' Doumeki said.

'You have good taste, Kimihiro-san,' Hajime said.

Watanuki blushed.

'This is a beautiful ancient temple,' Hajime said. 'A lovely place.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'And that large bamboo forest around is beautiful,' Hajime said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'I'll bring here my younger brothers, Tsuzuku, Owaru and Amaru, and our cousin Matsuri-chan,' Hajime said. 'Tsuzuku's a civil servant, Owaru and Amaru are pages, and Matsuri-chan is a court lady.'

'You aren't human, right, Hajime-san?' Watanuki asked.

'Not human? That's the first time I hear about it,' Hajime said. 'Though my brothers and I are much stronger and faster than ordinary people, and Matsuri-chan has a strange power over birds. And our grandfather used to say that our family was unusual. I'll look in the family archives.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said. 'Well, maybe you'll find something.'

'I hope,' Hajime said.

'Minoru-sama sent a lot of people our way,' Watanuki said. 'He's very kind.'

'Yes,' Hajime said.

Doumeki looked at the empty bowls and cups.

'Now, how about that archery contest?' he said.

'Of course,' Hajime said and rose.

'I'll show you where the targets are,' Doumeki said.

'Please,' Hajime said.

Doumeki and Watanuki rose too. Doumeki led them outside and through the gardens, to a quiet glade where the targets stood. Doumeki stood across from one of the targets, and Watanuki with Hajime stood aside.

Doumeki drew the bowstring, aimed and released the bowstring. The arrow flew to the target and hit the bull's eye.

'Excellent,' Hajime said. 'Now it's my turn.'

He stood across from the target. Doumeki stood aside with Watanuki. Hajime took one arrow out of his quiver, drew the bowstring, aimed and released the bowstring. His arrow flew to the target swifter than Doumeki's and hit the center of the bull's eye.

'Amazing!' Watanuki said.

'Don't worry, I said that my family was unusual,' Hajime said. 'Maybe we are of the blood of dragons, as our surname, Ryuudou, means Dragon Hall.'

'At least I can feel something very unusual in you, Hajime-san,' Watanuki said.

'Can you play Hanafuda?' Doumeki asked.

'Yes,' Hajime said.

'Very good,' Doumeki said. 'Want to play with us?'

'Yes,' Hajime said.

'All right,' Doumeki said.


	7. Chapter 7

One day, when Watanuki and Doumeki were taking a stroll in the bamboo forest, they saw a strange large bird flying by. Its body was snakelike with bird wings and legs, and its head was like that of a human but with a beak. It was crying, 'Itsumade, itsumade.' Suddenly it spouted fire, but the fire didn't burn anything, and then day turned into night. The bird disappeared.

'What is this? An eclipse?' Watanuki asked.

'It was an itsumaden,' Doumeki said. 'It got frightened and turned day into night.'

'Just great,' Watanuki grumbled. 'And how long will this last?'

'I don't know,' Doumeki said. 'It depends on the bird's mood.'

'And what shall we do then?' Watanuki asked.

'Walk in the dark,' Doumeki said. 'It's good too.'

'You!' Watanuki said.

Once, when Watanuki and Doumeki were having sushi with shiitake and osmanthus tea, a man appeared in the doorway. He was tall and broad-shouldered and wore a white hood, a white shawl on his shoulders, a transparent black haori with short sleeves, with a cuirass showing under the haori and sleeves of a short white kimono showing from under the sleeves of the haori, white loose trousers, white leggings and geta sandals, and he held a naginata in his right hand.

Watanuki rose.

'I'm Arisugawa Sorata,' the man with the naginata said.

'I'm Watanuki Kimihiro, and this is Doumeki Shizuka,' Watanuki said.

'Please come in and sit down,' Watanuki said.

Sorata came in and sat down.

'Wait a bit, I'll bring you tea and chopsticks,' Watanuki said.

'All right.' Sorata smiled.

Watanuki went out and returned with another cup of tea and another pair of chopsticks. He placed them before Sorata and sat down.

'By your clothes you are a sohei,' Doumeki said.

'Yes.' Sorata smiled.

'Eh?' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Sorata smiled. 'I'm from Hieizan Enryakuji Temple. I want to see Hong Kong, with its Po Lien Temple and other sights.'

'Sohei are warrior priests,' Doumeki explained.

He removed his hood. His hair was black and ruffled.

'I see,' Watanuki said.

'Thank you, Arisugawa-san,' Watanuki said.

'You cook really well, Watanuki-san,' Sorata said.

'A beautiful little temple you have here,' Sorata said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'What school do you belong to?' Sorata asked.

'Shingon,' Doumeki said.

'Like me.' Sorata smiled.

'Your temple is a temple of the Shingon School?' Watanuki asked.

'You don't know?' Sorata said. 'Hieizan Enryakuji is a famous temple.'

'Well, I don't,' Watanuki said.

'All right,' Sorata said. 'Your thumb ring is a beautiful piece of work, Doumeki-san, dark jade and flowers in gold wire.'

'It's Kimihiro's gift,' Doumeki said.

'Are you friends, lovers or a married couple?' Sorata asked.

'Lovers,' Doumeki said.

'Unfortunately,' Watanuki said.

Sorata smiled.

'Well, it's common for the Shingon School. Are you an archer, Doumeki-san?'

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'Care to fight, a naginata versus a bow?' Sorata asked.

'Sure,' Doumeki said.

'What rank are you?' Sorata asked.

'Third dan,' Doumeki said.

'Impressive,' Sorata said.

'I try my best,' Doumeki said.

'A very beautiful bouquet here, miscanthus, bush clover, pinks, kudzu, patrinia, boneset, balloonflowers, the Seven Plants of Autumn,' Sorata said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'The moon is very beautiful these autumn days,' Sorata said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

Sorata looked at the empty plate and cups.

'Now how about that fight?'

'Sure,' Doumeki said.

Doumeki rose, went out and some time later returned with his bow. He went to the middle of the room and stood there. Sorata rose and went to the middle of the room too and stood across from Doumeki. They bowed to each other. Sorata tried to attack Doumeki in the shoulder with his naginata. Doumeki evaded and tried to shoot Sorata in the leg. Sorata deflected Doumeki's arrow of ki with his naginata. Doumeki tried to shoot Sorata in the arm. Sorata deflected Doumeki's arrow with his naginata and tried to attack Doumeki in the hand. Doumeki evaded and tried to shoot Sorata in the hip. Sorata evaded and tried to attack Doumeki in the side with his naginata. Doumeki evaded and tried to shoot Sorata in the foot. Sorata deflected Doumeki's arrow with his naginata.

'Well, it seems it's a draw,' Sorata said.

'Yes,' Doumeki said and lowered his bow.

Sorata leaned on his naginata. Watanuki smiled.

'Can you play Hanafuda, Sorata-san?' Doumeki asked.

'Sure,' Sorata said.

One day, when Watanuki was playing Autumn Moon over Han Palace and Doumeki was listening to him, in the doorway appeared Hajime with four more people. One was a tall, broad-shouldered young man with short red hair and amber eyes and a cunning expression, in a black tall narrow cylindrical hat, a wide closed robe of white silk and purple loose trousers, with a closed fan in his right hand. Second was a slim young boy with black eyes and black ruffled hair tied in a ponytail at the back of his head, in a red wide closed robe, white loose trousers and a cuirass of strips of metal tied together, with straps, a sword at his waist. Third was a slim young boy with brown eyes and brown hair tied in a ponytail at the back of his head, in a green wide closed robe, white loose trousers and a cuirass of strips of metal tied together, with straps, a sword at his waist. Fourth was a tall, slender young woman with large black eyes and long wavy black hair partly tied in two buns with ties of sakura flowers with long red ribbons, her dress being a long wide flowing pale pink robe with red velvet bodice embroidered with flowers in gold and precious stones, hugging her slender waist, a red ribbon embroidered in gold hanging from the bodice down her robe to the ground.

'Konnichiwa, Shizuka-san, Kimihiro-san,' Hajime said. 'Meet my younger brothers Ryuudou Tsuzuku, Ryuudou Owaru and Ryuudou Amaru and our cousin Toba Matsuri-chan, the daughter of our Aunt Saeko, the sister of our late father, and Aunt Saeko's husband, Uncle Toba Seiichirou. Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri-chan, meet Doumeki Shizuka-san and Watanuki Kimihiro-san.'

Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru and Matsuri bowed.

Watanuki rose and bowed too.

'Please sit down, I'll bring something to eat,' Watanuki said.

Watanuki went out and some time later returned with a black lacquer tray with seven pairs of chopsticks and seven bowls with grilled tofu spread with red dengaku miso, white topping of white dengaku miso mixed with grated lemon peel and green topping of white dengaku miso mixed with pureed boiled spinach. Watanuki put the tray on the floor and sat down.

Tsuzuku tasted the grilled tofu with green topping.

'This is delicious!' Tsuzuku said. 'You're really a very good cook, Kimihiro-san.'

'Thank you.' Watanuki blushed.

Tsuzuku opened his fan. It was an ougi, a fan of semicircle of paper attached to sticks fastened together at the end. The fan was golden with a powerful bamboo painted on it, and the ribs were iron, though usually the ribs of an ougi are wooden.

'That's an unusual fan,' Watanuki said.

'It's a tessen.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'A tessen?' Watanuki asked.

'A battle fan,' Doumeki explained. 'It is used for tessenjutsu, fencing with a fan.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Tsuzuku is a court official of the sixth rank,' Hajime said.

'It's the lowest rank.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'We are called jige, 'underground'. I help with papers.'

'Well, the more common name is tenjou-bito, 'court noble',' Hajime said.

'That's for all ranks lower than the third,' Tsuzuku said. 'But the sixth rank is jige.'

'Matsuri-san has very beautiful clothes,' Watanuki said. 'It's Chinese style, isn't it?'

'Matsuri-chan likes Chinese clothes,' Hajime said.

Matsuri smiled.

'And your name is beautiful too, Matsuri-san,' Watanuki said.

'Thank you.' Matsuri smiled.

'All of your names are very interesting, Hajime - 'start', Tsuzuku - 'continue', Owaru - 'end' and Amaru - 'remain',' Watanuki said.

'Our parents had a great imagination.' Owaru smiled.

'And what rank is Minoru-sama?' Watanuki asked.

'The same as me, sixth rank.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'He's a good person,' Watanuki said.

'Yes,' Hajime said. 'When I was standing on guard, already feeling feeble, Minoru-san, who was passing by, asked me if I was unwell. I told him that I felt feeble and my strength has diminished, and he told me about this place. He said you cured his fiancée, Hirugao-san, and him. So I went here.'

'He said it was a beautiful temple, with a lot of lovely astilbes, and that's why it's commonly called Awamorishouma-in, and that you and Shizuka-san were lovers and a beautiful couple.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Oh!' Watanuki blushed.

Tsuzuku fanned himself slowly.

'And he said you were a very good cook, Kimihiro-san,' Hajime said.

Watanuki blushed.

'Do you know an Amenosa called Kudou Yuusuke-san?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes, he comes to the court sometimes,' Hajime said.

'He's been here too,' Watanuki said. 'He came here and stayed because he liked it here, and when the magistrate of Liuzhou came here and sicced his guards on me, Yuusuke-san stepped in and that's how I knew he was an Amenosa. He promised to use his magic to come here on each festival, and he does.'

'Oh,' Hajime said.

'Yuusuke-san is a good person,' Watanuki said.

'Yes,' Hajime said.

'Matsuri-san, why you don't have those little braids on the sides of the face that Hirugao-sama, Asagao-sama and Yuzuki-sama have?' Watanuki asked. 'Is it because you like Chinese clothes?'

'Those braids, binsogi, are a sign that a lady is married or engaged.' Matsuri smiled. 'Hirugao-san is betrothed to Minoru-san, and Asagao-san and Yuzuki-san are married to each other, but I'm single.'

'Because Hajime still hasn't the guts to propose to our Matsuri-chan,' Tsuzuku said.

'Tsuzuku!' Hajime said.

'What? It's true.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Hajime is reserved.' Matsuri smiled.

'I know someone like this,' Watanuki grumbled. 'They get along very well.'

'Shizuka-san, ne?' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes,' Watanuki huffed.

Tsuzuku smiled.

'Do you know a shirabyoshi dancer called Saitou Miyuki-san?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes,' Tsuzuku said. 'She dances for the court often. Last time she danced before the court on the Double Ninth. She dances very beautifully. Once she danced before the court as the court came to celebrate Hanami outside the walls of the city of Jianye. The courtiers admired her, and she was invited to dance at the Imperial Palace. Since that time she dances for the court often.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'She came here too,' Watanuki said. 'She was haunted, and Minoru-sama sent her here. Yuusuke-san was here at that time. They liked each other, and when Yuusuke-san left, Miyuki-san left with him.'

'Really?' Matsuri said. 'They make a beautiful couple.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'Oh, about what you said to me, Kimihiro-san,' Hajime said. 'Thank you for telling me. I've looked in the kura at our manor, Hiiragizawa, and it seems that we are descended from the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas.'

'The Go brothers?' Doumeki asked.

'Yes,' Hajime said. 'It seems that our ancestors lived in the village of Ryuusenkyou, or Long Shenshang in Chinese, the Dragon Springs.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Now we are going to visit Ryuusenkyou to learn more about our ancestors,' Hajime said.

'That's wonderful,' Watanuki said.

'Would you go with us, Kimihiro-san, and you, Shizuka-san? Because if it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have known who my ancestors were,' Hajime said. 'What do you say? Our carriage waits at the gate.'

'Oh!' Watanuki said.

'Well?' Hajime asked.

'Of course,' Watanuki said.

'Me too,' Doumeki said.

'All right,' Hajime said.

'Imagine that, at court we are nicknamed the Dragon Brothers because of our name and strength,' Tsuzuku said. 'If only they knew!'

'Yes,' Hajime said. 'And that explains our name.'

'Probably,' Doumeki said.

'Well, I know many beings, but I've never been friends with dragons,' Watanuki said. 'It's something else.'

'Something else is right.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Watanuki smiled.

'When Hajime said we were going away for a long time because of family matters, I've heard court ladies say to each other, 'Did Hajime-san decide to marry Matsuri-san at last?' And many said, 'I envy her!' Tsuzuku said. 'But nooo, Hajime makes no moves at all!'

Hajime blushed.

'Anyone can see he likes her, and she likes him, but our Hajime is so quiet!' Tsuzuku said.

'Just like Doumeki,' Watanuki said.

'Doumeki, not Shizuka?' Tsuzuku asked.

'It just happened,' Watanuki said.

'It happens like this.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'People call their friends, relatives, lovers and spouses by their last names.'

'Yes.' Matsuri smiled.

'And what does Shizuka-san call you, Kimihiro-san?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Kimihiro,' Watanuki scowled.

Tsuzuku, Matsuri, Owaru and Amaru smiled.

'You're an interesting couple,' Matsuri said.

Later they went to the gate. When they walked out of the gate, Watanuki saw an ornate mahogany carriage with red curtains, with four beautiful white horses harnessed to it. Kagemaru and Komachi were sitting in the grass near the carriage.

'Oh, Kagemaru-san, Komachi-chan,' Watanuki said.

'We came to see you off,' Komachi said.

'Thank you.' Watanuki smiled.

'An otoroshi?' Matsuri said. 'And a nekomata?'

'Meet Kagemaru-san and Ono no Komachi-chan,' Watanuki said. 'Kagemaru-san, Komachi-chan, meet Ryuudou Hajime-san, Ryuudou Tsuzuku-san, Ryuudou Owaru-kun, Ryuudou Amaru-kun and Toba Matsuri-san.'

'Pleased to meet you,' Komachi said and flicked her tails.

'Komachi-chan was thrown out just for being a nekomata,' Watanuki said. 'I took her in, and later she defended me from the guards of the magistrate of Liuzhou with her magic. She just waved her tails, and they froze in their steps.'

'Oh,' Matsuri said.

'Kagemaru-san, look after the temple and Komachi-chan while we are away, all right?' Watanuki said. 'And call us if anyone comes.'

'All right,' Kagemaru said.

'Thank you,' Watanuki said.

'Tell us what you'll see there,' Komachi said.

'Of course.' Watanuki smiled.

'Take care,' Kagemaru said.

'Thank you.' Watanuki smiled.

Matsuri smiled.

'Ittekimasu,' Watanuki said.

'Itterasshai,' Komachi said.

Matsuri smiled.

Tsuzuku opened the curtains of the carriage.

'Come in.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Aniki, you sit with Matsuri-chan, and you, Owaru-kun and Amaru-kun, sit beside them. And you, Kimihiro-san and Shizuka-san, sit together too. I'll sit beside you. Lovers must always be together.'

Hajime blushed.

They climbed into the carriage, Hajime sat with Matsuri, and Owaru and Amaru near them. Watanuki and Doumeki sat across from Hajime and Matsuri, and Tsuzuku near them. Seats in the carriage were banks with crimson velvet cushions. The walls were covered with golden velvet. Watanuki settled comfortably on the cushions. Tsuzuku closed the curtains.

'Go!' Tsuzuku commanded.

The carriage started to move.

'Cousin Tsuzuku took the perfect position to tease you, Kimihiro-san and Shizuka-san.' Matsuri smiled.

'Who, me?' Tsuzuku said innocently.

'Where is that village of Ryuusenkyou?' Watanuki asked.

'Near the town of Xining in the Kunlun Mountains,' Tsuzuku said. 'It's on the other side of the plain of China, a long way from here. We'll pass by the lakes of Yangtze River, cross Yangtze and the Yellow River and see such cities as Xian and Changsha. What's more, Ryuusenkyou happens to be in another country, the Kingdom of Wei.'

'Oh!' Watanuki said.

'So it should be an interesting journey.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Doumeki frowned.

'Oh, you worry for Kimihiro-san's safety, ne, Shizuka-san?' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Please don't, Hajime knows kyuudo and kendo, Owaru and Amaru know kendo as well, and I know tessenjutsu.'

He fanned himself.

'See?' Matsuri said.

'Matsuri-chan, it's not teasing, it's help!' Tsuzuku said.

'Really?' Matsuri smiled.

'You should visit our manor, Hiiragizawa,' Tsuzuku said. 'It's near Taihu Lake, and it's very beautiful.'

'But we don't know the way,' Watanuki said.

'We'll take you there,' Tsuzuku said. 'It has plenty of secluded pavilions and caves in the park for lovers to conceal themselves in and to do what they want.'

Watanuki blushed fiercely. Tsuzuku smiled.

'Tsuzuku-kun.' Matsuri smiled.

'Also the town of Suzhou is near our manor. It has many mysterious romantic gardens and old quaint streets and beautiful channels. A very lovely town!' Tsuzuku said. 'You should visit it. A perfect place for lovers!'

'Wei Yuhua-san, a neighbor, said it was a beautiful place too.' Watanuki smiled.

'It's the most beautiful town in the Celestial Empire.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Boating on the Taihu Lake is also wonderful, and the countryside around - lovely hills, lakes and channels,' Tsuzuku said. 'So many possibilities for lovers to get alone!'

'Tsuzuku, you are true to your name,' Matsuri said. 'You just go on and on.'

'Hajime-niisan and Matsuri-chan like to walk together around our neighborhood,' Tsuzuku said.

Hajime blushed.

'You also could visit Shanghai or Jianye, or go boating on the Yangtze,' Tsuzuku said. 'Lovely places.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Oh, and you know that in our journey we'll see the beautiful Dongting Lake and the dolphins that live in it, called the beautiful fairies of the lake?' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh, Wei Yuhua-san spoke about them too,' Watanuki said.

'They are beautiful,' Tsuzuku said.

Watanuki leaned on Doumeki and snoozed.

'How cute,' Tsuzuku said. 'You should follow their example, aniki, Matsuri-chan.'

Hajime blushed.

'But maybe they're longtime lovers, and sleep together?' Tsuzuku said. 'Still, you should follow their example.'

'Hush, you'll wake Kimihiro,' Doumeki said.

Matsuri smiled.

Some time later Watanuki woke and opened the curtains on his side. It was dark outside, and they were going along a mountain road. The mountains around them were tall and intricate, covered with bamboo and coniferous trees.

'Where are we?' Watanuki asked.

'These are the famous Wuyishan Mountains where Prince Xian Wang met the beautiful fairy of the Lo River, and she said to him that she can become clouds and rain.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Hajime blushed.

'Eh?' Watanuki said.

'Clouds and rain are since that day a metaphor for love trysts and sleeping together,' Doumeki said.

'Oh!' Watanuki said.

Some time later they saw among the trees a bunch of elegant buildings with a bright red torii gate in front of them.

'Oh, a Shinto temple,' Tsuzuku said. 'Let's stay here for the night.'

'All right,' Hajime said.

They came up to the temple and stopped. Tsuzuku opened the curtains on his side and climbed out. Then Watanuki, Doumeki, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri and Hajime climbed out too. Tsuzuku gave them a hand.

They passed through the torii and walked through a beautiful Japanese garden to a beautiful Japanese style building. White shoji was partly opened in one place. Inside there was a room with white shoji and white tatami, a hibachi of the floor and a tokonoma with a bouquet of miscanthus in a tall brown vase. On the tatami sat a tall slender girl with long straight black hair and black eyes, in a closed white robe with long wide sleeves and red hakama over the white robe. She was playing a shamisen and singing.

'More than the cicada,

Who sings her burning love,

The silent firefly

Burns.'

Hajime bowed and said:

'I'm Ryuudou Hajime of the Imperial Guards, and with me are my younger brothers, Ryuudou Tsuzuku, Ryuudou Owaru and Ryuudou Amaru, our cousin Toba Matsuri-chan and our friends Doumeki Shizuka-san and Watanuki Kimihiro-san.'

'I'm Kishuu Arashi, and this temple is called Meigetsu-in,' the girl said.

'Pleased to meet you,' Hajime said.

'Please sit down,' Arashi said.

Hajime, Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri, Watanuki and Doumeki came in and sat down. Arashi went out and some time later returned carrying a tray with onigiri and eight pairs of chopsticks. She put the tray on the floor and sat down herself.

Watanuki tasted one onigiri.

'This is delicious!' Watanuki said.

'Thank you,' Arashi said.

'This is a very high praise, because Watanuki-san is a real itamae himself.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Really?' Arashi said.

Watanuki blushed.

'This is a very beautiful thumb ring, Doumeki-san,' Arashi said.

'It's Kimihiro's gift,' Doumeki said.

'Are you lovers?' Arashi asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'You are a beautiful couple,' Arashi said.

Watanuki blushed.

'Are you an archer, Doumeki-san?' Arashi asked.

'Yes. I have third dan,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Arashi said.

'Shizuka-san and Kimihiro-san are priests too, at a temple called Awamorishouma-in southeast from here,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh?' Arashi said. 'What school are you?'

'Shingon,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Arashi said.

'Kimihiro-san can play moon zither very well.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Really?' Arashi said.

'Maybe you can learn to play shamisen too, Kimihiro-san.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Maybe,' Watanuki said.

'Are you traveling?' Arashi asked.

'Yes. We want to see the village of Ryuusenkyou in the Kunlun Mountains, where our ancestors lived,' Hajime said.

'Oh?' Arashi said.

'Yes. Kimihiro-san told me that I wasn't fully human, and I looked in our family archives and learned that our ancestors were the Four Dragon Kings and that our family lived in Ryuusenkyou for some time,' Hajime said. 'So I took my brothers and Matsuri-chan and invited Shizuka-san and Kimihiro-san along and went to see Ryuusenkyou.'

'Watanuki-san was right,' Arashi said. 'I see dragons inside of you, a blue one inside of you, Hajime-san, a red one inside of you, Tsuzuku-san, a white one inside of you, Owaru-kun and a black one inside of you, Amaru- kun. But there's no dragon inside of you, Matsuri-san.'

'The color of East is blue or green, the color of South is red, the color of West is white and the color of North is black,' Hajime said.

'East, South, West and North, like in Mahjong!' Watanuki said.

'Yes, for Hajime-niisan is the oldest, I am the second, Owaru-kun is the third, and Amaru-kun is the youngest.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'But why we never took the form of dragons before?' Hajime asked.

'The Four Dragon Kings were handsome young men most of the time,' Arashi said.

Amaru blushed.

'Nee, Amaru-kun, you like Arashi-san?' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Tsuzuku-niisan!' Amaru exclaimed.

'I haven't yet met anyone who would capture my fancy, male or female.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Tsuzuku-kun, why don't you find someone for yourself?' Matsuri said.

'And in the meantime you tease all the lovers around,' Matsuri said.

'Well, it's fun,' Tsuzuku said.

'That's a tessen, isn't it, Tsuzuku-san?' Arashi asked.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'It's beautiful,' Arashi said.

'Thank you,' Tsuzuku said.

'I know kendo myself,' Arashi said.

'Really?' Tsuzuku said.

'Why is there no dragon inside of me?' Matsuri asked.

'Maybe you are of too mixed blood, so that you are almost not a Ryuudou by blood,' Tsuzuku said.

'Maybe,' Matsuri said.

'But you are still our little cousin.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Thank you, Tsuzuku-kun.' Matsuri smiled.

'You have a beautiful name, Arashi-san, 'storm',' Watanuki said.

'Thank you.' Arashi smiled.

'Matsuri-chan, Kimihiro-san, your lovers are just so calm that I will court you both myself if they don't make any moves promptly.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I'm sorry, Tsuzuku-kun, I love you, but only as a brother.' Matsuri smiled.

'Same here.' Watanuki smiled.

'All right.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'It's just they are so calm.'

'But they are reliable.' Matsuri smiled.

'I would have been much quicker,' Tsuzuku said.

'You are quick in everything, Tsuzuku-kun, quick in handling papers and quick in your feelings.' Matsuri smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Can't you see dragons inside of them, Watanuki-san?' Arashi asked.

'No,' Watanuki said. 'My powers are weak. I just can see spirits and magic.'

'And you can't see a dragon inside of me too?' Arashi asked.

'No,' Watanuki said.

'I am of dragon people too, my family comes from Ryuusenkyou,' Arashi said.

'Really?' Watanuki said.

'Yes. It is a wonderful old village,' Arashi said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'What kind of dragon are you, Arashi-san?' Tsuzuku asked.

'A gray one,' Arashi said.

'Oh,' Tsuzuku said.

'Come to visit us, Arashi-san,' Watanuki said. 'Our temple is south from here, near the town of Anzhou, in a large bamboo forest, and it's called Awamorishouma-in, because there are lovely astilbes there, even by the gate. People who live around there know it very well. It's a beautiful old temple with lovely gardens.'

'Thank you,' Arashi said.

Tsuzuku looked at the empty plate.

'Arashi-san, sing some more. I'm sure Amaru-kun would be delighted.'

'Tsuzuku-niisan!' Amaru said.

'All right,' Arashi said.

She picked her shamisen up and sang.

In deep mountains,

'I am the bamboo, little bamboo;

Embraced by wisteria

I'll sleep.'

Amaru watched Arashi attentively.

Later Arashi stood up.

'I'm sure you want to rest now. I'll show you to your rooms.'

'Please give one room to Hajime and Matsuri-chan and to Shizuka-san and Kimihiro-san, Arashi-san.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Tsuzuku-san!' Watanuki exclaimed.

'All right,' Arashi said.

'If you weren't a courtier, you would make a very good matchmaker, Tsuzuku-kun,' Matsuri said.

'Yes, I would,' Tsuzuku said.

'Are you sure you aren't part kitsune as well?' Watanuki grumbled.

'No, I'm not sure at all.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Shizuka-san, Kimihiro-san, please follow me,' Arashi said.

'All right,' Doumeki said.

Arashi led them to a room with a bouquet of white and blue chrysanthemums in a yellow vase, a hibachi, a tansu, white tatami and white shoji. She opened the tansu, took out two futons and spread them on the floor.

'Oyasumi nasai, Doumeki-san, Watanuki-san,' Arashi said.

'Oyasumi nasai, Arashi-san,' Watanuki said.

Arashi went out.

Doumeki removed his hakama and kimono, put them in the tansu, lay down on the futon and fell fast asleep.

'What are you, a log!' Watanuki said and undressed and went to sleep himself.

Next morning at breakfast Tsuzuku smiled.

'Did you rest well? You, Hajime-niisan and Matsuri-chan, and you, Shizuka-san and Kimihiro-san?'

'Very well, thank you, Tsuzuku-kun.' Matsuri smiled.

'That oaf slept like a log!' Watanuki said.

Tsuzuku smiled.

'Hajime-san is like that, too, is he?' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Matsuri smiled.

'So calm!' Tsuzuku said.

Later Arashi saw them off to the temple gate.

'Have a good journey!' Arashi said.

'Thank you,' Watanuki said.

They climbed into the carriage and took off. They looked at the temple until it disappeared in the distance.

'Doumeki, do you know Chinese?' Watanuki asked.

'Of course,' Doumeki said.

'Can you teach me?' Watanuki asked.

'All right,' Doumeki said.

'Well?' Watanuki asked.

'Hm. Well, 'ni hao ma' - or just 'ni hao' - means 'how are you?' Doumeki said.

'Ni hao,' Watanuki repeated.

'Very well,' Doumeki said. 'And 'xie xie' means 'thank you.'

'Xie xie,' Watanuki said.

'All right,' Doumeki said. 'Well, 'hen hao' means 'very good.' It's an answer to 'ni hao' or just describes something good.'

'Hen hao,' Watanuki repeated.

'And 'bu hao' means 'no good'. It describes something bad or can be an answer to 'ni hao', but it's not a very good answer, you understand.'

'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'Bu hao.'

Doumeki nodded.

'And 'hen gui' means 'very expensive'. It's useful when you are haggling.'

'Hen gui.' Watanuki nodded.

'And 'bu yao' means 'no', 'I don't want this'. Use this when hawkers will pester you, they'll leave you alone quickly,' Doumeki said.

'Bu yao,' Watanuki repeated.

'And 'hen piao liang' means 'this is very beautiful'. Also can be used when you meet a beautiful woman,' Doumeki said.

'Hen piao liang,' Watanuki repeated.

'And 'zai jian' means 'good-bye', 'see you again',' Doumeki said.

'Zai jian,' Watanuki repeated.

'And 'jie guo' means 'excuse me', it's used like our 'sumimasen' - when you need to make way through a crowd, for example,' Doumeki said.

'Jie guo,' Watanuki repeated.

'And 'wo bu yao' means 'I don't want it',' Doumeki said. 'Use it if you don't want another helping or more drink.'

'Wo bu yao,' Watanuki said. 'Now that's not a phrase you use yourself, I bet.'

'Not often,' Doumeki said.

Matsuri smiled.

'And 'fa piao' means 'receipt.' It's useful to ask for it in the case someone cheats on you,' Doumeki said.

'I know that, thank you very much!' Watanuki said.

Matsuri smiled.

'Ni hao?' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Hen hao,' Watanuki answered. 'Xie xie.'

Matsuri smiled.

'Hen piao liang.' Watanuki smiled.

'Xie xie.' Matsuri smiled.

'Hen piao liang,' Watanuki said, nodding at the beautiful mountains outside.

'Hen hao.' Matsuri smiled.

'You are talented, Watanuki-san.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Thank you.' Watanuki blushed.

'In time you'll know Chinese very well.' Matsuri smiled.

'I hope,' Watanuki said.

'Chinese is a beautiful language,' Matsuri said.

'I know,' Watanuki said.

'Now you must call me sensei,' Doumeki said.

'You!' Watanuki shouted.


	8. Chapter 8

They came down from the mountains to a hilly plain. On their way they visited an ancient town called Shangqing with the Taoist Master's mansion, built like a prince's mansion and based on the Eight Trigrams in plan, and the Shangqing Temple where the Taoist Masters prayed, the Xianlu (Incense Burner) Mountain, the Jinlong (Gold Dragon) Cave, the beautiful Luxi River and the Longhushan (Dragon and Tiger) Mountain with the ancient cliffside tombs of the Yue people and Xianshui (Holy Water) Rock with beautiful shapes, Longhushan Mountain being the place where Zhang Daoling made the elixir of immortality, auspicious light appearing on the first year he was making the elixir, clouds in many colors appearing on the second year and a tiger and a dragon appearing on the They came down from the mountains to a hilly plain. On their way they visited an ancient town called Shangqing with the Taoist Master's mansion, built like a prince's mansion and based on the Eight Trigrams in plan, and the Shangqing Temple where the Taoist Masters prayed, the Xianlu (Incense Burner) Mountain, the Jinlong (Gold Dragon) Cave, the beautiful Luxi River and the Longhushan (Dragon and Tiger) Mountain with the ancient cliffside tombs of the Yue people and Xianshui (Holy Water) Rock with beautiful shapes, Longhushan Mountain being the place where Zhang Daoling made the elixir of immortality, auspicious light appearing on the first year he was making the elixir, clouds in many colors appearing on the second year and a tiger and a dragon appearing on the third year, when Zhang Daoling made the elixir, the Taoist Masters being Zhang Daoling's successors.

In the evening they reached a large town with a wall and a gate with signboard with Chinese characters.

'Oh, this is Nanchang,' Tsuzuku said, looking at the signboard. 'Let's stay the night here.'

Hajime nodded.

They passed through the gate and along streets with houses enclosed by walls with gates, trees and roofs with upturned corners showing above the walls. Suddenly Tsuzuku said, 'Stop!'

The carriage stopped. Tsuzuku nodded at the gate of a house nearby.

'The sign says Hiiragiya Ryokan, the Holly Inn, a good name. Let's stay here.

'All right,' Hajime said.

They climbed out of the carriage and passed through the gate. Inside was a large court with several buildings in Japanese style and many trees. A path of flat stones doused with water as a sign of hospitality led to the buildings. The travelers followed down the path. They came to a large three-storied building with an ornate porch and a blue noren curtain with an emblem of a holly leaf in a circle. They came in and took off their shoes.

'Is someone here?' Tsuzuku called loudly.

A young girl appeared.

'How can I help you?' she asked.

'We want to stay here,' Hajime said. 'I am Ryuudou Hajime of the Imperial Guards, and those with me are my younger brothers Ryuudou Tsuzuku, Ryuudou Owaru and Ryuudou Amaru, our cousin Toba Matsuri-chan and our friends Doumeki Shizuka-san and Watanuki Kimihiro-san.'

'Pleased to meet you,' the girl said. 'Please follow me.'

'Please give separate rooms to Hajime-niisan with Matsuri-chan and Shizuka-san with Kimihiro-san.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Lovers need their privacy. And we aniki's three single younger brothers can stay together.'

'You aren't single for lack of people who like you, Tsuzuku-kun,' Matsuri said.

'What can I do if I don't love any of them, Matsuri-chan.' Tsuzuku smiled.

The girl led them to three adjoining rooms with tatami, shoji, bouquets and scrolls in the tokonoma, tansu and hibachi.

'Please be at home,' she said.

'Thank you.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Tsuzuku, Owaru and Amaru went into one of the rooms. Hajime and Matsuri went into another. Doumeki and Watanuki went into the third.

Watanuki closed the door and searched in the tansu. He found a bunch of yukatas. He took one and changed into it from his kimono. Then he pushed another yukata to Doumeki.

'Put it on,' Watanuki grumbled.

'All right,' Doumeki said and changed too.

Watanuki went to the far shoji and opened it. Outside was a beautiful Japanese garden and in it a pool with large rocks, with steam rising from it.

'Oh, a hot spring,' Watanuki said.

'Yeah,' said Doumeki who was sitting on the floor.

Watanuki heard tapping on the outer shoji. He went to it and opened it. He saw Hajime, Matsuri, Tsuzuku, Owaru and Amaru, all of them in yukatas, Tsuzuku holding his fan.

'Let's go sightseeing, the Tengwang Pavilion, the Poyang Lake, and so on,' Tsuzuku said.

'All right,' Watanuki said and went out. Doumeki rose and went out too. All of them went to the front door of the ryokan.

'You are very handsome in this yukata, Kimihiro-san.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Watanuki blushed. He was wearing a dark pink yukata with light blue sinuous streams, tufts of grass growing by the streams and butterflies in various colors flying over the streams.

Doumeki frowned.

'You are just like my aniki, Shizuka-san, and a good archer too.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yeah,' Watanuki said.

'That tower must be the Tengwang Pavilion, and Poyang Lake is beyond the walls,' Tsuzuku said, nodding at a tower in distance.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

Some time later they came to a tall graceful tower with intricate Chinese crimson roofs and details in crimson and silver.

'This is the Tengwang Pavilion or Prince of Teng's Pavilion,' Tsuzuku said. 'It was built for the Prince of Teng, a relative of Emperor, who was the governor of these lands once. It was his mansion. Once the poet Wang Bo visited Nanchang on his way to see his father in the southern provinces, and he was invited to a banquet in the Tengwang Pavilion. He wrote a beautiful poem about Tengwang Pavilion, called Tengwang Ge Xu, or Preface to the Tengwang Pavilion. That poem made the Tengwang Pavilion famous, and now it is considered one of the Four Great Towers of China. We shall visit other two of them on our way, the Yueyang Tower in Yueyang and the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Now let's go and see Poyang Lake!' Tsuzuku said.

They walked through the streets, out of a gate and through green hills with bunches of trees and at last came to a large serene expanse of water with flocks of birds over it.

'This is the Poyang Lake, one of the largest lakes of China, also called the Paradise of migratory birds,' Tsuzuku said. 'Also river dolphins without dorsal fins live here. They are called jiangzhu, river pigs in Chinese and sunameri in our language.'

At this moment a plump dolphin without a dorsal fin leapt out of the water and plunged into the water again.

'That was one of the sunameri,' Tsuzuku said.

Watanuki nodded.

'Other two largest lakes in China are Dongting Lake near Changsha and Qinghai Lake near Xining,' Tsuzuku said. 'So we'll also see them on our way.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

When they returned to Hiiragiya, Tsuzuku said:

'Let's bathe in the hot spring together!'

'All right,' Doumeki said.

'I'll go after you.' Matsuri smiled.

She retired to her and Hajime's room. The young men went to the hot spring, undressed on the bank and plunged into the water. They settled in the warm steaming water.

Watanuki looked at the Ryuudou brothers. All of them were well built and had many scars. And Doumeki...he was very well built, muscular and had some scars too. Watanuki blushed.

'Do we look good?' Tsuzuku smiled. Watanuki blushed.

'May I call you Kimihiro-kun now?' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Y-yes,' Watanuki said.

'I must say, Kimihiro-kun, that you look very good yourself.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Watanuki blushed. Doumeki frowned.

'At least you don't have a fox tail,' Watanuki said. Tsuzuku laughed.

'No, I don't.' Tsuzuku laughed. 'My mother wasn't a kitsune. Maybe I'm partly descended from kitsune or something.'

'This hot spring is very good,' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'What a beautiful garden!' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'These white camellias, maples with red leaves and white chrysanthemums and golden chrysanthemums!' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'This inn is lovely,' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And it is called Hiiragiya, Holly Inn, as our manor is called Hiiragizawa, Holly Moor,' Amaru remarked.

'Yuuko-san, my guardian, would say it's hitsuzen,' Watanuki said.

'Maybe,' Tsuzuku said.

'I like this journey,' Watanuki said.

'So do I.' Tsuzuku smiled.

After they emerged from the pool and returned to their rooms, Tsuzuku smiled.

'You can bathe now, Matsuri-chan. Hajime, you can join her, if you want.'

Hajime blushed. Matsuri smiled.

'Thank you, Tsuzuku-kun.'

The young men gathered in one of the rooms.

'Let's play Shiratori!' Tsuzuku said.

'All right,' Watanuki said.

Matsuri returned from the pool and joined them afterwards.

Some time later came a tall slender young man with short black hair and black eyes, in a dark blue kimono with short sleeves and a haori from paper with beautiful characters and a tall slender young man with short blonde hair and large blue eyes, in round glasses and in a black kimono with short sleeves and a haori from paper with beautiful characters. The black haired young man was carrying a tray with bowls. Both young men bowed deeply.

'I'm Hiiragiya Touya, and this is my husband Tsukishiro Yukito,' the black haired young man said. 'We are the owners of Hiiragiya. We brought you kaiseki.'

'Thank you,' Hajime said.

'What a lovely couple!' Tsuzuku said. 'You should follow their example, aniki and Matsuri-chan, and you, Shizuka-kun and Kimihiro-kun.'

Hajime and Watanuki blushed.

Touya put the tray on the floor and sat down. Yukito sat down by his side. Watanuki saw that on the tray were saucers with a salad of slices of jicama and oranges and two closed lacquer boxes for each person and chopsticks.

Watanuki opened the boxes. Inside one of them was white rice, inside another - thick miso soup. Watanuki tasted the salad - it was delicious.

'Are you traveling?' Yukito asked.

'Yes, we want to visit a village called Ryuusenkyou in the Konron Mountains, near the town of Xining,' Tsuzuku said. 'We learned recently that our distant ancestors lived there.'

'That's far away, in the Kingdom of Wei,' Yukito said.

'Yes,' Tsuzuku said.

'You'll see many interesting places on your way, the Heng Mountain, the Yuelu Academy in Changsha, the Yueyang Tower in Yueyang, the Dongting Lake, Wuhan, Xi'an, Xining, the Qinghai Lake, the Maiji Caves.'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Ryuusenkyou sounds like a hot springs town,' Yukito remarked.

'Maybe, we don't know,' Tsuzuku said.

'Did your ancestors live there, those of yourself, your brothers and Matsuri-san, and Watanuki-san and Doumeki-san are only your friends?' Yukito asked.

'Yes,' Tsuzuku said.

'Ryuusenkyou, Dragon Springs Village, and your surname, Ryuudou, seem to be linked,' Yukito said.

'Yes, Ryuudou means Dragon Hall.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Oh,' Yukito said.

'And what does your own surname mean, Tsukishiro-san, White Moon?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Moon Castle.' Yukito smiled. 'And my given name means Snow Rabbit.'

'Your name suits you well.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And Touya's given name means Peach Arrow.' Yukito smiled.

'How strange, I was born on Momo no Sekku, Peach Festival,' Doumeki said.

'The Girls Day!' Watanuki said.

'Peach can exorcise evil spirits,' Doumeki said. 'That's why Momotarou was a demon hunter.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

Yukito rose, went out and some time later returned carrying a tray with a bottle of sake and red lacquer cedar boxes.

'Take one each, please,' Yukito asked.

The travelers took one box each, and Yukito poured sake into each box.

When they drank their sake, Yukito went out again and brought a tray with little lacquer bowls with lids. Watanuki took off the lid of his bowl and saw a clear broth with pieces of fish, shiitake mushrooms and greens. The soup had a wonderful aroma with a spicy hint of lemon grass.

'Where are you from?' Yukito asked.

'My brothers, Matsuri-chan and me are from Jiangsu,' Tsuzuku said. 'Our manor is near the Taihu Lake, it is called Hiiragizawa.'

'What a strange coincidence!' Yukito said.

'And Shizuka-kun and Kimihiro-kun are from Fujian, their house is near the town of Anzhou,' Tsuzuku said. 'They are priests of Awamorishouma-in Temple, a lovely little old temple in a great bamboo forest,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Yukito said.

'How long are you together with Hiiragiya-san, Tsukishiro-san?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Seven years.' Yukito smiled.

'And how did you meet?' Tsuzuku asked.

'We were companions, and fell in love.' Yukito smiled.

'Just like Shizuka-kun and Kimihiro-kun here, but Shizuka-kun is slow to make the next step,' Tsuzuku said.

'He's always slow, that oaf,' Watanuki grumbled.

Yukito smiled.

'But not when shooting his bow.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'There are people like this.' Yukito smiled. 'They are reserved, but they immediately take action when it is needed. Touya is like this too.'

Yukito rose again and brought more sake. When the guests drank it, he brought grilled fish topped with grated lemon rind and leaves of the sansho tree, on an old ceramic dish with patina and even with a dent.

'You know that when a prince is born, a bow is hung on the gate of the Imperial Palace?' Tsuzuku said. 'And there is also a Mongolian wedding song saying, 'Draw a bow, increase the family.'

Hajime blushed.

'Are you for the first time in Nanchang?' Yukito asked.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And how do you like it here?' Yukito asked.

'Very much.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'The Tengwang Pavilion and the Poyang Lake are wonderful.'

'And how do you like our inn?' Yukito asked.

'It's lovely.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'A real old ryokan.'

'It's my family's inn,' Touya said. 'It's been ours for centuries. We the Hiiragiya are an old family.'

'Oh,' Tsuzuku said.

'We are related to the powerful wizard Clow Reed, who was half Chinese and half English, but all talents I have that are like his are cooking well and premonitions.' Touya smiled.

'Really? We are related to him too!' Tsuzuku said.

'So we are related!' Touya said.

'It seems so,' Tsuzuku said.

'How strange,' Yukito said.

'Please come to visit us,' Tsuzuku said.

'And us also,' Watanuki said.

'Thank you.' Yukito smiled.

Yukito rose and went out again and returned carrying a tray with tiny lacquer cups filled with hot water with sage flowers floating in it.

'It's for refreshing the taste buds,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They drank the water with sage flowers. Then Yukito went out again and brought a magnificent cedar tray with tiny bowls with asparagus shoots and slices of ham.

'You should see Hiiragiya in spring,' Yukito said. 'It's mostly surrounded by cherry trees, and when they are in bloom it's wonderful.'

'We'll come here in spring,' Tsuzuku promised.

'To meet relatives suddenly in Nanchang - how odd!' Amaru said.

'A witch Kimihiro and me both know would say it's destiny,' Doumeki said.

'Yes,' Watanuki grumbled.

'Would that be Yuuko-san?' Tsuzuku smiled.

'You know about her?' Watanuki asked.

'Minoru-san told us.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'She's a fabulous woman.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'She's something else,' Watanuki grumbled.

Tsuzuku smiled.

'I heard that festivals at your house are very merry, Kimihiro-kun.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'We'll visit you on festivals without fail.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'You are welcome.' Watanuki smiled.

Yukito brought more sake. When the guests drank it, Yukito rose and went out again and returned carrying a tray with bowls with pickles and rice.

'What a wonderful kaiseki!' Watanuki said.

'That's a great praise, because Kimihiro-kun is a real itamae himself.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Really?' Yukito asked.

'Yes.' Doumeki said. Watanuki blushed.

'Kimihiro-kun must come from a line of great cooks,' Tsuzuku said.

'I don't know, I've lost my memory,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Tsuzuku said. 'I'm very sorry.'

'It's nothing,' Watanuki said.

'For all we know, you could be our relative!' Tsuzuku said.

'Maybe,' Watanuki said.

'Hmm,' Doumeki said.

'Life is mysterious,' Tsuzuku said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'What was the most strange being you've seen, Kimihiro-kun?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Well, once I went to a shop with Yuuko-san, and in that shop between furniture I saw a strange little thing that looked like a toy in the shape of a strange animal. But it turned to be alive and hit me with a lightning! It said it was Raijuu, Thunder Beast. It turned out to be an old friend of Yuuko-san too. It went to Yuuko-san's home with us and hit me with lightning every other moment!' Watanuki said.

'How strange,' Tsuzuku said.

'Yes,' Matsuri said.

Yukito rose and went out and brought a tray with saucers with chestnut puree arranged in the shape of mountain peaks, valleys and gorges, something like a mountain path.

'How beautiful!' Watanuki said.

'I hope you like the taste also.' Yukito smiled.

Watanuki tasted the chestnut puree.

'This is wonderful!'

'Thank you very much.' Yukito smiled.

'Was it you who made it?' Watanuki asked.

'Touya and me make meals together, but this one was made by me.' Yukito smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'You are a very good cook, Tsukishiro- san,' Tsuzuku said. 'Hiiragiya-san is very fortunate. That reminds me of someone else, but Shizuka-kun doesn't seem to see how fortunate he is.'

'He just eats the food, that oaf,' Watanuki grumbled. Yukito smiled.

'I would show my appreciation of Kimihiro-kun, if I was his lover,' Tsuzuku said.

Doumeki frowned.

'Tsuzuku-kun, just what are you trying to do?' Matsuri smiled.

Next morning they continued their journey. They passed low green hills and entered low mountains. The mountains were intricate and covered with coniferous trees like Wuyishan Mountains. They were passing a dense forest when suddenly many large men in Chinese robes, Japanese kimono and in something very strange, armed with various unusual Chinese and Japanese looking weapons, appeared out of the forest.

'Bandits!' Matsuri said.

Owaru and Amaru put their hands on the hilts of their swords, Hajime and Doumeki gripped their bows and Tsuzuku his fan.

The armed men surrounded the carriage and stopped the horses.

'Look, there's a beautiful girl and beautiful young boys here!' one man said.

'Come out!' another man said.

Tsuzuku, Amaru, Owaru, Watanuki, Doumeki, Hajime and Matsuri climbed out. Tsuzuku instantly opened his fan, Owaru and Amaru unsheathed their swords, Hajime and Doumeki drew their bows.

'Think you can win us?' one bandit said.

Owaru, Amaru and Tsuzuku rushed at the bandits, Hajime and Doumeki released bowstrings. Matsuri darted forwards too. Owaru and Amaru cut the bandits with their swords, Tsuzuku pierced the bandits with the ribs of his fan and countered attacks with his fan, Hajime and Doumeki shot arrows at the bandits, and Matsuri kicked the bandits powerfully. Suddenly a flock of birds appeared and started to peck and claw the bandits too. Soon most of the bandits were killed, and some fled into the forest.

'So that was Matsuri-san's mysterious power over birds?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Maybe Matsuri-chan is a phoenix?'

'Maybe.' Matsuri smiled.

'You are really something else, all of you,' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'And if we are dragons, that explains it.'

'Dragons and a phoenix.' Matsuri smiled.

'Dragon and phoenix are symbols of married couple or lovers, you know.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Hajime blushed.

'You are beautiful like a phoenix, Matsuri-san,' Watanuki said.

'Thank you.' Matsuri smiled. 'And you may call me Matsuri-chan.'

'All right, Matsuri-chan,' Watanuki said.

'So you see now, Kimihiro-kun, what a humble fan can do.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'There's a story how a samurai came to visit someone and bowed at the threshold and put his fan on the groove for the shoji. Now the host wanted to kill the samurai and ordered to close the shoji so the samurai's neck would be crushed. But the shoji collided with the samurai's fan and stopped, because his fan was a tessen and had iron ribs, like mine. The treacherous host was frightened and didn't try to kill the samurai anymore,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'I'm just a civil servant and not a warrior, but I always have my fan.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I can see that.' Watanuki smiled.

'I will always protect you, Kimihiro-kun.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Doumeki frowned.

'Let's continue our journey now,' Hajime said.

'All right,' Tsuzuku said.

They climbed back into the carriage and were off.

They descended to the green hills again and continued their journey among the green hills. On their way they visited the beautiful Heng Mountain, one of the Five Sacred Mountains of China, with an ancient Buddhist temple called Zhusheng Si and a little stone temple called Zhurong Gong. At last they arrived to a large town surrounded by a wall with towers and a gate with a signboard.

'Oh, this is Changsha,' Tsuzuku said. 'I know this town very well. I studied here, in the Yuelu Academy.'

'Really?' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'I know all the good places here.'

They passed through the gate and along streets with houses surrounded by walls with trees and roofs showing above them. As they were passing by a Chinese looking house, Tsuzuku ordered, 'Stop!' The carriage stopped.

'This is the Two Butterflies Inn, a very good place. I stayed here when I lived in Changsha,' Tsuzuku explained.

'All right,' Hajime said.

They climbed out of the carriage and passed through the gate of the house. Inside there was a large courtyard with a bunch of Chinese style buildings and a lot of trees. Tsuzuku led them to one building and into it. Inside there was a Chinese style room with many low tables and lots of people in Chinese and Japanese clothes sitting at the tables. Tsuzuku led them to a vacant table, and they sat down at the table. A fat middle-aged man in a red Chinese robe came up to their table.

'Good evening, Ma-san.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Is that you, Ryuudou Tsuzuku-san?' Mr. Ma exclaimed. 'Long time no see!'

'Yes, it's me.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'And meet my older brother, Ryuudou Hajime, my younger brothers, Ryuudou Owaru and Ryuudou Amaru, our cousin Toba Matsuri-chan and our friends Doumeki Shizuka-kun and Watanuki Kimihiro-kun. And this is Ma Xiong, the owner of Two Butterflies.'

'Pleased to meet you,' Mr. Ma said.

'I see nothing changed here.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes.' Mr. Ma smiled. 'And you look very good in court dress, Tsuzuku-san. Have you married?'

'No.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'And neither has Hajime, though Matsuri-chan likes him very much. She'll get tired of waiting soon.'

'Tsuzuku!' Hajime said.

Mr. Ma smiled.

'You haven't changed at all too, Tsuzuku-san.'

'I hope.' Tsuzuku smiled, slowly fanning himself.

'Are you traveling?' Mr. Ma asked.

'We suddenly discovered that our distant relatives live near Xining, and we want to visit them.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'That's far away,' Mr. Ma said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'There's a lot of interesting places on the way, and of course my old school. I'm going to show Yuelu to my companions.'

'I remember how cute you looked in young boy's clothes, Tsuzuku-san.' Mr. Ma smiled. 'And how you had parties with your friends here.'

'Those were the days.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Do you want to stay here?' Mr. Ma asked.

'Of course!' Tsuzuku said. 'And please bring us Dong'an chicken and yuan yang huo guo.'

'Yuan yang huo guo, eh?' Mr. Ma smiled. 'All right.'

Mr. Ma went away.

'Yuan yang huo guo?' Matsuri smiled.

'Eh?' Watanuki said.

'Yuan yang huo guo means lovers' hot pot in Chinese,' Doumeki said.

'What!' Watanuki said.

'More accurately, Mandarin ducks' hot pot, as Mandarin ducks are a symbol of lovers or married couple,' Doumeki said.

'You!' Watanuki said.

Tsuzuku smiled.

Some time later Mr. Ma returned carrying a tray with bowls and chopsticks. He put it on the table. The Dong'an chicken turned out to be parboiled chicken with chili peppers, spices, vegetable oil and vinegar.

'Dong'an chicken is the signature dish of the Hunan cuisine, and Changsha is the capital of Hunan.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

Yuan yang huo guo turned out to be a hot pot divided into two sides, a milder one and a spicier one.

'The milder side is Shizuka-kun or aniki, and the spicier one is Kimihiro-kun or Matsuri-chan.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'So Doumeki-san and Watanuki-san are lovers too?' Mr. Ma smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

After they finished eating, Mr. Ma said:

'Now I'll show you to your rooms.'

'Please place Hajime with Matsuri-chan and Shizuka-kun with Kimihiro-kun in one room.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'All right.' Mr. Ma smiled.

Mr. Ma led them to another building. Inside that building there were five Chinese style rooms with fancy windows, curtains, little tables, chairs, vases, beds and scrolls.

'Here you are.' Mr. Ma smiled.

'Thank you.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Mr. Ma went away.

'Now let's go, I'll show you the Yuelu Academy!' Tsuzuku said.

They left the Two Butterflies Inn and walked through the town.

As they walked through the streets, Watanuki suddenly saw that a small slender girl in a green Chinese robe and with black hair in a Chinese knot with ornate hairpins dropped a booklet bound in red cloth. Watanuki stopped and picked the booklet up.

'You've dropped a book!' Watanuki called.

The girl stopped, turned and said:

'Oh, thank you! It's a gift to my sworn sister for her wedding!'

Watanuki offered the booklet to the girl and frowned. The booklet fell open, and the characters in it were handwritten and weren't Chinese characters, kanji or kana, though they were a bit like kana.

'What's this writing?' Watanuki asked.

'This is Nu Shu, right?' Doumeki said.

'Yes,' the girl said.

'What's Nu Shu?' Watanuki asked.

'It's an alphabet that only women in Jiangyong County use,' Doumeki said. 'They learn it from their mothers or sworn sisters.'

'That's right,' the girl said. 'My sworn sister married a man from Changsha, and I am going to give this booklet with poems to her.'

'There's a custom that a girl's mother or sworn sister gives her a booklet with poems in Nu Shu on the third day after her wedding, right?' Doumeki said.

'Yes,' the girl said.

'It looks like kana, but not quite,' Watanuki said.

'It's also syllabic,' Doumeki said. 'And hiragana also was once used only by women. Court ladies, such as Murasaki Shikibu, the author of Genji Monogatari, used it. Then it spread to men.'

'You know a lot, Shizuka-kun.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I read a lot,' Doumeki said.

'What is your name?' the girl asked, looking at Watanuki.

'Watanuki Kimihiro,' Watanuki said.

'And I'm Zhao Lingshen,' the girl said. 'Thank you, Watanuki-san.'

'You're welcome, Zhao-san.' Watanuki smiled.

Lingshen took the booklet and went away.

'Now let's go to Yuelu!' Tsuzuku said.

They came to a beautiful large hill on the bank of a large river.

'This is the Yuelu Mountain, where the Yuelu Academy and many other interesting buildings are located,' Tsuzuku said. 'The river is called Xiangshui.'

They climbed the hill, covered with forest of towering trees giving a dense shade, and got to the top. On the top there was a palace.

'This is the Yunlu Palace, an important place for Taoists,' Tsuzuku said. 'Yunlu is the highest peak of the Yuelu Mountain.'

Tsuzuku led them a bit away from the Yunlu Palace. Then he stopped by a ginkgo tree. In the ginkgo tree there was a flying clock and under it a flying stone.

'These are the famous Flying Clock and Flying Stone,' Tsuzuku said.

They continued to wander about the hill and came to a temple.

'This is the Lushan Temple,' Tsuzuku said. 'It's the oldest Buddhist temple in Hunan.'

Then they descended into a beautiful gorge.

'This is the Qingfeng Gorge,' Tsuzuku said.

They went along the gorge and came to a beautiful little pavilion with teal roof, four red round inner pillars and four white square outer pillars at its four corners.

'This is the Aiwan Pavilion, or Loving Dusk Pavilion, called so after a poem by Du Mu,' Tsuzuku said. 'Before that it was called Hongye Pavilion, or Red Leaf Pavilion. It was built by Luo Dian, a master of the Yuelu Academy and renamed by Bi Yuan, a governor of the province. In Loving Dusk by Du Mu there are words, 'Here I pull up my carriage, entranced, for the twilt mountainside is ablaze with crimson maples more vivid than spring flowers.' Aiwan Pavilion is one of the four famous pavilions in China, the other three being Zuiweng Pavilion in Anhui, Huxin Pavilion of the West Lake in Zhejiang and Taoran Pavilion in Beijing.'

They walked some more along the Qingfeng Gorge and saw a beautiful tower.

'This is the Sheli Tower,' Tsuzuku said.

They walked some more and saw a lovely spring.

'This is the White Crane Spring,' Tsuzuku said.

They walked some more and met a tall, slender young girl with large dark eyes and black hair, tied in a knot, in a black kimono with short sleeves and an obi with red and white diagonal stripes, a white juban, long white fingerless gloves, white leg protectors and straw sandals. She held on her head some firewood wrapped in a bright tenugui towel, and by her side there was a large dog with pointed muzzle, pointed ears, long legs and bushy tail.

'Do you need firewood?' the girl asked.

'Sorry, we aren't from here, we are traveling,' Watanuki said. 'What a cute dog!'

'What dog?' Tsuzuku asked. 'I don't see any dog.'

'I can't see it too, if I close one eye,' Doumeki said.

'Then this dog is...?' Watanuki said.

'You can see Inuki?' the girl asked.

'His name is Inuki?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes, and my name is Nekoi Yuzuriha,' the girl said. 'I sell firewood and charcoal here.'

'Is Inuki a spirit then?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes.' Yuzuriha smiled. 'He's my protector. It's in my family.'

'But your name is Nekoi?' Watanuki smiled.

'Yes. It's strange.' Yuzuriha smiled.

'What dog?' Owaru asked.

'A large one, with a pointed muzzle, pointed ears, long legs and a bushy tail,' Watanuki said. 'It's right here by Yuzuriha-chan's side.'

'Amazing!' Owaru said.

'Are you a Seer?' Yuzuriha asked.

'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'My name is Watanuki Kimihiro.'

'It's a good name,' Yuzuriha said.

'And your name is beautiful, Yuzuriha-chan,' Watanuki said.

'Thank you, Watanuki-san.' Yuzuriha smiled.

'Come to visit me, Yuzuriha-chan,' Watanuki said. 'I live in Awamorishouma-in Temple near Anzhou in Fujian with Doumeki Shizuka here.'

'I will.' Yuzuriha smiled. 'They say Fujian is beautiful.'

'It is,' Watanuki said.

'Good night, Watanuki-san.' Yuzuriha smiled.

'Good night, Yuzuriha-chan.' Watanuki smiled.

Yuzuriha turned and went away, Inuki following her.

Some time later they were walking along a path among high green miscanthus. Suddenly out of the grass appeared a snake whose head had no features but a vast gaping mouth with a lot of long sharp teeth.

Watanuki froze.

'Don't worry,' Doumeki said. 'This one is a Nozuchi. It looks fearsome, but it's not dangerous. It will hide back into the grass now.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

The snake ducked back into the grass.

As they walked some more they saw a tall slender young woman with milk white skin, large dark eyes, bright red lips and shiny black hair tied in a knot, in a white kimono with pattern of flowers and rhombuses and over it a dark blue kimono with shells and fancy shapes, upper half rolled down and forming a large bow shape in the back and lower half open, showing red lining. The young woman stopped and looked at Watanuki.

'It's beautiful here, isn't it?' she smiled.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'Did you come to enjoy the beauty of the Yuelu Mountain too?' the young woman asked.

'We are traveling, and one of my friends studied at the Yuelu Academy, so he wanted to show the Yuelu Academy and the Yuelu Mountain to us.' Watanuki smiled.

'Where are you from?' the young woman asked.

'One of my friends and me are from Fujian, and the rest of my friends are from Jiangsu,' Watanuki answered.

'And I live here in Hunan,' the young woman said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'My name is Fujita Yoshie, and yours?' the young woman asked.

'Watanuki Kimihiro, and my friends are Ryuudou Hajime-san, Ryuudou Tsuzuku-kun, Ryuudou Owaru-kun, Ryuudou Amaru-kun, Toba Matsuri-chan and Doumeki Shizuka,' Watanuki said.

'Pleased to meet you,' Yoshie said.

'Same here,' Watanuki said.

'May I join you?' Yoshie asked.

'Of course.' Watanuki smiled.

Yoshie walked with them.

'Where do you live in Fujian, Watanuki-san?' she asked.

'Near Anzhou, in Awamorishouma-in Temple with Doumeki here,' Watanuki said.

'It is Buddhist or Shinto temple?' Yoshie asked.

'Buddhist,' Watanuki answered.

'What school are you?' Yoshie asked.

'Shingon,' Watanuki answered.

'Oh,' Yoshie said.

'Yes,' Watanuki said.

'Where are you going to?' Yoshie asked.

'Hajime-san discovered that he and his younger brothers Tsuzuku-kun, Owaru-kun and Amaru-kun and their cousin Matsuri-chan have relatives near Xining, and so we are going there,' Watanuki explained.

'Oh,' Yoshie said. 'That's far away from here, in the Kingdom of Wei.'

'So I heard,' Watanuki said.

'You look so handsome, Watanuki-san,' Yoshie said.

Doumeki frowned.

'Sorry, Yoshie-san, but I am Shizuka's lover,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Yoshie said. 'I'm sorry, Watanuki-san.'

'Don't mention it,' Watanuki said.

'Let's be friends,' Yoshie said.

'Of course.' Watanuki smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

Some time later they met a tall, slender young man with short brown hair and warm brown eyes, in large round glasses, a brown square hat, a wide thin black coat and a black kimono. The young man stopped when he saw them.

'Ryuudou-senpai! Is that you?' the young man exclaimed.

'Kinomoto!' Tsuzuku exclaimed. 'So you stayed here. Are you a teacher here?'

'A librarian.' The young man smiled.

'Well, well.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Did you come to visit your old school, or are you here with an errand?' the young man asked.

'We are traveling,' Tsuzuku explained. 'Meet my brothers Ryuudou Hajime, Ryuudou Owaru and Ryuudou Amaru, our cousin Toba Matsuri-chan and our friends, Watanuki Kimihiro-kun and Doumeki Shizuka-kun. And this is Kinomoto Fujitaka-kun, he was my kouhai and a very good student.'

'Pleased to meet you.' Fujitaka smiled.

'I want to show Yuelu to my companions,' Tsuzuku explained.

'Oh,' Fujitaka said. 'I was going to the Two Butterflies, but I'll go with you then.'

'Very good.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Fujitaka walked with them.

'Where are you going to?' Fujitaka asked.

'We discovered that we have relatives in a village called Ryuusenkyou near Xining, so we want to go there,' Tsuzuku explained.

'Oh,' Fujitaka said. 'It's far away, in the Kingdom of Wei.'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'It's an interesting journey.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'You are faring well, I see.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'And you too, I see. You always liked ancient things, so I am not surprised you are a librarian.'

'Yes.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Have you married?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Yes.' Fujitaka smiled. 'She's a lovely and kind girl, and her name is Nadeshiko.'

'A pink.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'It's a lovely name.'

'She fell on me from a tree, when I was taking a stroll on the Yuelu Hill.' Fujitaka smiled. 'She was sitting in a tree. It's amazing!'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And you, have you married?' Fujitaka asked.

'No.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'I haven't found anyone I would like. Hajime on the other hand could marry any day, as Matsuri-chan adores him, but he's just so slow!'

Hajime blushed. Fujitaka smiled.

'The name of the village, Ryuusenkyou, Dragon Springs Village, seems to be connected with your surname, Ryuudou-senpai,' Fujitaka said.

'Maybe,' Tsuzuku said.

'It seems to be a hot springs town by its name,' Fujitaka observed.

'Maybe, we don't know yet,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Fujitaka said.

When they came to the Two Butterflies and sat down at a table, Mr Ma quickly came up to them.

'Fujitaka-san!' Mr Ma said. 'So you met.'

'Yes, near the Yuelu Academy.' Fujitaka smiled.

'What a fortunate coincidence!' Mr Ma said.

'Yes.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Old school friends meeting again,' Mr Ma said. 'Remember the merry parties you had here together?'

'Of course.' Fujitaka smiled.

'And now we are in the Two Butterflies together again!' Tsuzuku said.

'Yes.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Let's celebrate that!' Tsuzuku said. 'Ma-san, bring Dong'an chicken!'

'Yes.' Mr Ma smiled and went away. Some time later he returned with Dong'an chicken.

'Ryuudou-senpai, energetic as always.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Yes.' Matsuri smiled.

'I'm happy to know Ryuudou-senpai's relatives.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Same here.' Matsuri smiled.

'It's no wonder that he has such nice relatives.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Thank you.' Matsuri smiled.

'You're welcome.' Fujitaka smiled.

'How did you meet?' Matsuri asked.

'Oh, I was carrying a large pile of books from the library to the student dormitory and tripped. Ryuudou- senpai was walking by and caught me in time.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Kinomoto bowed and repeated 'I'm sorry' many times.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'I stopped him and introduced myself. He introduced himself too. And we began to talk and became friends.'

'Yes.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Kinomoto was always reading.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And Ryuudou-senpai was always doing wild things.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Yeah.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Like climbing onto the roof of the He Xi Platform.'

'Yes.' Fujitaka smiled. 'Ryuudou- senpai was always a bright one.'

'And Kinomoto was always a quiet one.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'How good to meet you again, Ryuudou-senpai!' Fujitaka said.

'Same here.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'How we used to sit here in the Two Butterflies late into the night, eating, drinking, singing songs and talking.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Yeah.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Fujitaka and Tsuzuku sang together.

'Like twin pine needles,

We are inseparable.

We'll wilt together,

But we'll never part.'

Hajime, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri, Watanuki, Doumeki and Mr Ma smiled.

'What rank are you, Ryuudou-senpai?' Fujitaka asked.

'Sixth.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'I help with papers.'

'I see,' Fujitaka said.

'Do you have any children, Kinomoto?' Tsuzuku asked.

'No, but I want them.' Fujitaka smiled. 'Nadeshiko likes cherry blossoms, so maybe a girl named Sakura.'

'It's a lovely name.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Sakura?' Watanuki said. 'My mother was called Sakura too. She was lovely.'

'Really?' Fujitaka asked.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'Fujitaka, Nadeshiko and Sakura - it would be harmonic.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Fujitaka-kun's name means 'high wisteria.' And Kinomoto means 'tree base.'

'Really?' Watanuki said. 'How amazing.'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'How we used to go for walks at night, eh, Ryuudou-senpai?' Fujitaka smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Those were the days.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'And our boating on the Xiangshui River in summer days.'

'Yes.' Fujitaka smiled.

'Well, we are going to retire now,' Tsuzuku said. 'Good night.'

'Good night.' Mr Ma smiled.

'Good night.' Fujitaka smiled. 'Are you staying here?'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I see,' Fujitaka said. 'I'll go home to Nadeshiko-chan then.'

Fujitaka rose, bowed and left.

Hajime, Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri, Doumeki and Watanuki rose and left too.

When they came to the pavilion where their rooms were, Tsuzuku smiled, fanning himself slowly.

'Good night and have a good rest, especially you, Hajime-niisan and Matsuri-chan, and you, Shizuka-kun and Kimihiro-kun!'

Hajime and Watanuki blushed. Tsuzuku smiled and retired to his room.

'Good night, Kimihiro-kun, Shizuka- kun, Owaru-kun, Amaru-kun.' Matsuri smiled.

'Good night,' Hajime said.

Hajime and Matsuri retired to their room, holding hands.

'Good night,' Owaru said and retired to his room.

'Good night,' Amaru said and retired to his room too.

Doumeki went to his and Watanuki's room too. Watanuki followed him. He saw it was a beautiful Chinese room with scrolls on the walls, porcelain vases on the floor and carved wooden chairs and tables and one bed.

'What!' Watanuki shouted.

Doumeki just undressed and went to bed.

Watanuki undressed, grumbling, and went to bed too.

Next morning at breakfast, Dong'an chicken again, Tsuzuku smiled.

'Did you rest well?'

'As always,' Watanuki grumbled.

'Very well, thank you, Tsuzuku-kun.' Matsuri smiled.

Mr Ma smiled.

'You are so much like my aniki, Shizuka-kun.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes, so calm that it's scary,' Watanuki grumbled.

Matsuri smiled.

They continued their journey among green hills. In the evening they saw another town surrounded by a wall with towers and a gate with a signboard.

'Oh, this is Yueyang where the famous Yueyang Tower is,' Tsuzuku said.

They entered the town and stopped at a Chinese inn. Then they went for a walk. They came to a small elegant tower with red structure and golden roofs.

'This is the Yueyang Tower,' Tsuzuku said. 'Its first form was Ba Ling Tower built when General Lu Su of our Kingdom of Wu was sent to fortify this area and to train fleet here. Ba Ling Tower was named after the nearby town of Ba Ling. It was a watchtower. Later it became this lovely tower. The poet Fan Zhongyan who was here on invitation of his friend Teng Zijing who was the governor of this place wrote a poem named Yueyang Lou Ji - Memorial to the Yueyang Tower. Later the famous playwright Ma Zhiyuan wrote a play called Yueyang Tower. The poem Memorial to the Yueyang Tower by Fan Zhongyan goes:

'The lake embraces distant hills and devours the Yangzi,

Its mighty waves rolling endlessly.

From morning glow to evening light,

The views change a thousand then thousand times.

On top of the tower the mind relaxes, the heart delights.

All honours and disgrace are forgotten.

What pleasure, what joy to sit here and drink in the breeze.'

They climbed to the top of the Yueyang Tower and saw the expanse of the lake and the rolling hills.

'This is the Dongting Lake, one of the largest lakes in China,' Tsuzuku said. 'There are sunameri dolphins and also dolphins called baiji here. The baiji dolphins live only in the Dongting Lake. They are also called the Goddess of the Yangtse River. It is said that the first baiji was a princess who was drowned by her relatives because she didn't want to marry the person they wanted her to marry. Also it is said that the first Dragon Boat Race was here on the Dongting Lake. The great poet and the first known poet in the Celestial Empire, Qu Yuan, drowned himself in the Miluo River that flows into the Dongting Lake when he saw that the King of Chu whose minister he was didn't listen to his advice and that would lead to the ruin of the kingdom. People searched for his body on boats and threw zongzi in the water so that a dragon who lived in the lake wouldn't eat Qu Yuan's body.'

'I want zongzi,' Doumeki said.

'In October!' Watanuki said. 'You are crazy!'

Matsuri smiled.

'It's also said that there is a Dragon King living in the Dongting Lake,' Tsuzuku said. 'Maybe our relative?'

'Maybe.' Matsuri smiled.

'And that little island with mountains is the Junshan Island,' Tsuzuku said. 'It's less than a mile long but it has seventy-two mountain peaks. It is a Taoist retreat, and here they grow the Junshan Yinzhen tea, Silver Needles of the Gentleman Mountain, a yellow tea, one of the ten Famous Teas of China. A similar tea is grown on the shores of the Dongting Lake nearby, but it isn't called Junshan Yinzhen.'

'I must buy some of that tea as an o-miyage for our friends back home,' Watanuki said.

'We also,' Matsuri said.

They descended from the tower and bought some Junshan Yinzhen in a nearby shop. Then they went to the shores of the Dongting Lake. They stood there and looked at the golden sunset and the mountainous Junshan Island in the distance and at the plump pink sunameri dolphins and slick blue dolphins with small triangle dorsal fins, baiji, leaping in the water.

Next morning they continued their journey in the green hills. At some point Watanuki saw in the air a snake with four wings and a head like an adder's. The snake emitted a noise that was like music.

'And what is THAT?' Watanuki asked.

'I don't know,' Doumeki said.

'What?' Watanuki said.

'This is a singing snake,' Tsuzuku said. 'They are harmless.'

'Singing snakes, huh,' Watanuki said.

Some time later they saw in the air a white dog with thick wings. It was flying fast.

'What is this?' Watanuki asked.

'It's a heavenly horse,' Tsuzuku said.

'Horse? But it is a dog,' Watanuki said.

'They are called heavenly horses,' Tsuzuku explained.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They continued their journey among the green hills. They crossed a large beautiful river, Tsuzuku said it was Yangtse. Later they visited an ancient town called Jingzhou that once was the capital of the State of Chu, of 20 kings of Chu for 411 years, and had ancient walls with gates, watchtowers and battlements, and Chaozong tower on the Gongji gate, and near the town the ruins of five Chu cities, 73 sites of Chu culture and more than 800 large ancient towns including those of 18 Chu kings and Wulin battlefield and Huarong path from the times of the Battle of Red Cliffs where Sun Quan, the founder of the Kingdom of Wu, and Liu Bei, the founder of the Kingdom of Shu, defeated Cao Cao, the founder of the Kingdom of Wei, not letting him to invade the southern lands. Later they reached a large town called Wuhan. They stopped at a Chinese inn and went for a walk. They came to a large beautiful lake with many lotuses.

'This is the East Lake, the biggest urban lake in China,' Tsuzuku said.

On the shores of the lake were two beautiful mountains.

'These are Moshan, Millstone Mountain, and Houshan, Monkey Mountain,' Tsuzuku said.

They came to these mountains and walked about them a bit and then came to a beautiful park.

'This is the Liyuan Park,' Tsuzuku said.

They walked around the park a bit. Then they went away.

They came to a tall, elegant tower with orange roofs, standing on a hill on the bank of Yangtse.

'This is the Yellow Crane Tower, Huang He Lou in Chinese, one of the Four Great Towers of China,' Tsuzuku said. 'There are legends about this tower. One says that an Immortal called Wang Zi'an rode off on a yellow crane from the Snake Mountain, this hill on which the tower stands now. Another says that one Fei Wenyi after becoming an Immortal would ride a yellow crane and often stay on the Snake Mountain to take a rest. Cui Hao wrote a poem called Yellow Crane Tower that goes like this:

'Long ago a man rode off on a yellow crane, all that remains here is Yellow Crane Tower.

Once the yellow crane left, it never returned, for one thousand years the clouds wandered without care.

The clear river reflects each Hanyang tree, fragrant grasses lushly grow on Parrot Island.

At sunset, which direction lies my home town? The mist covered river causes one to feel distressed.'

Hanyang is the part of Wuhan that is across the river, and the Parrot Island is that sandbar in the middle of the river.'

'I see,' Watanuki said.

'Also Li Bai wrote a poem called Seeing off Meng Haoran for Guangling at Yellow Crane Tower. It goes like this:

'My old friend said goodbye to the west, here at the Yellow Crane Tower.

In the third month's cloud of willow blossoms, he's going down to Yangzhou.

The lonely sail is a distant shadow, on the edge of a blue emptiness,

All I see is the Yangtse River flow to the far horizon.'

'You know a lot,' Watanuki said.

'Well, I stood on Ao's head.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Eh?' Watanuki said. 'What head?'

'It means he ranked first in the palace examination, the last stage of the civil service examinations,' Doumeki said. 'Only those who passed the county and provincial examinations are admitted to the palace examination that takes place in the Imperial Palace. In the main hall of the Imperial Palace there are steps with statues of a dragon and a legendary turtle called Ao. The students who took the palace examination stand on the steps when the results of the examination are announced. The one who ranked first is allowed to stand in front of Ao's head.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Right.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Hajime-niisan stood guard there when the results were announced. How proud he was of me! Of course, he too ranked first in his time.'

Hajime blushed.

'You would do well yourself, Shizuka- kun.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I am happy where I am,' Doumeki said.

'I see,' Tsuzuku said.

'Hajime-san, are you an Imperial Guard?' a young confident voice asked.

They turned and saw a tall slender young boy with unruly red hair tied in a ponytail, green eyes and a bold expression, in a red wide closed robe and red loose trousers and a cuirass of tied together metal stripes, with a katana at his belt.

'Yes,' Hajime said.

'I am Kyuuhou Ryuuou, a knight-errant.' The young boy smiled broadly.

'I am Ryuudou Hajime. Meet my brothers, Ryuudou Tsuzuku, Ryuudou Owaru and Ryuudou Amaru, our cousin Toba Matsuri-chan and our friends Watanuki Kimihiro-san and Doumeki Shizuka-san.'

Ryuuou bowed.

'Can I fight with you, Hajime-san? I want to fight with an Imperial Guard so much!'

'Of course, Ryuuou-kun,' Hajime said.

'Well, let's begin then?' Ryuuou asked.

'All right,' Hajime said.

Ryuuou and Hajime bowed to each other and charged. Hajime shot at Ryuuou, but Ryuuou avoided his arrow and rapidly hit Hajime's arm with his sword. Hajime shot at Ryuuou again, but Ryuuou ducked and hit Hajime's leg. Hajime shot at Ryuuou again, but Ryuuou avoided his arrow and hit Hajime's foot. Hajime shot again, but Ryuuou ducked and hit Hajime's shoulder.

'You win,' Hajime said.

Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'That was really a meeting of a dragon and a tiger.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Or rather, two dragons, for our surname, Ryuudou, means Dragon Hall, and your name, Ryuuou-kun, means Dragon King, am I right?' Hajime said.

'Yes.' Ryuuou smiled. 'But I'm not a dragon.'

'Then surely a tiger,' Hajime said.

'There is a saying, 'In the sky live nine headed birds, on the earth live Hubei people.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'What are nine headed birds?' Watanuki asked.

'A kind of a phoenix, very fierce and strong,' Doumeki said. 'They are also called qiufeng, or kyuuhou - nine phoenix.'

'That's right.' Ryuuou smiled broadly, and suddenly his outlines blurred. In his place appeared a powerful bird, like an eagle, but with nine heads. Then its outlines blurred, and they saw Ryuuou again.

'Oh!' Watanuki said.

'Youkai sometimes have names that point to their race, Inugami, for example,' Doumeki said.

'Yes.' Ryuuou smiled broadly. 'That saying appeared because there are really many nine headed birds among Hubei people.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Are you traveling?' Ryuuou asked.

'Yes,' Hajime said. 'We discovered we have relatives near Xining, so we are going to visit them.'

Ryuuou nodded.

'That's far away.'

'Yes,' Hajime said.

'The poet Jia Dao wrote a poem called The Swordsman that goes like this:

'For ten years I have been polishing this sword;

Its frosty edge have never been put to the test.

Now I am holding it and showing it to you, sir:

Is there anyone suffering from injustice?'

Now my sword has been tested many times, but it is at your service, and me too.'

Ryuuou bared his sword and showed it to the travelers.

'All right,' Hajime said.

'I think you ride in a carriage?' Ryuuou asked.

'Yes,' Hajime said.

'Then I'll follow you as a bird.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'All right,' Hajime said.

They crossed Yangtse by a bridge to Hanyang. Some time later they came to a terrace. It was surrounded by a wall, and when they passed through a gate in the wall, they found a maze of pavilions, little courtyards and gardens. Tsuzuku said:

'This is the Lute Platform where Yu Boya, a qin player in the Spring and Autumn period, who composed the melody High Mountain and Running Water, used to play. According to Qin Shi, Liezi said: 'Bo Ya was good at playing the qin. Zhong Ziqi was good at listening to the qin. When Bo Ya's will was towards high mountains in his playing, Zhong Ziqi would say, 'How towering like Mount Tai!' When Bo Ya's will was towards flowing water in his playing, Zhong Ziqi would say, 'How vast are rivers and oceans!' Whatever Bo Ya thought of Ziqi would never fail to understand. Bo Ya said, 'Amazing! Your heart and mine are the same!' When Ziqi died, Bo Ya broke the strings of his qin and vowed never to play the qin again. Thus, there was the melody of High Mountains Flowing Water.'

'That is my favorite melody, I like to play it on my moon zither!' Watanuki said.

'I'll be with you always, so that you always have someone to listen to your moon zither,' Doumeki said.

'Thank you,' Watanuki said.

'Aww!' Tsuzuku and Matsuri said.

Some time later they came to a Chinese food stand. Tsuzuku approached the stand. His companions followed him.

'Soup dumplings and re gan mian, please,' Tsuzuku asked.

'All right,' the owner of the stand said and went away. Some time later he returned and put on the counter eight small bamboo baskets with steamed buns with smooth, almost transparent skin arranged in fine folds on the top, lying on a bed of Chinese cabbage. Watanuki took and tasted one. The filling was pork with crab meat and roe in soup.

'These are the famous soup dumplings, or xiaolongbao,' Tsuzuku said. 'Xiaolong means 'small steaming basket.' The filling is wrapped in meat gelatin, and when the buns are steamed, it turns into soup.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

When the travelers ate all the soup dumplings, the owner of the stand leaned, took out a conical strainer with noodles, dipped them in a pot with boiling water, then swirled and drained them, took out eight bowls, poured noodles into them and then poured on top of noodles sesame oil, soy sauce, vegetables, chives, chili sauce and vinegar.

'These are the famous re gan mian - hot and dry noodles,' Tsuzuku said.

Next morning they left Wuhan and continued their journey among the green hills. Ryuuou followed the carriage as a nine headed bird flying in the sky high above the carriage.

Some time later they entered smooth mountains covered with coniferous trees. After they rode for some time in the mountains, they saw a being that looked like a human but was eight feet tall and covered with long red hair. It walked out of the forest and went into the forest again.

'What was that?' Watanuki asked.

'Yeren, Wild Man, also called Shennongjia Yeren, Wild Man of Shennongjia, or Ren Xiong, Man-Bear. They live here in Hubei from ancient times,' Tsuzuku said.

'Like Yeti?' Watanuki said.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

Some time later they saw in the trees a group of monkeys with long golden hair and blue faces.

'What beautiful monkeys!' Watanuki said.

'These are the golden snub-nosed monkeys,' Doumeki said. 'They live only here in the wilderness of west China.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

Some time later they saw ahead of them on the road a beautiful girl with long black hair partly tied in two buns with red ribbons, with large dark eyes and in a red Chinese robe, fiercely struggling with a strong man in a kimono, who was striving to overtake her.

'Stop!' Tsuzuku ordered.

But Ryuuou was quicker. He darted down from the sky with a shrill cry. He fell on the girl's attacker and started to bite him with his nine sharp beaks, cut him with his sharp claws and beat him with his large wings fiercely. Soon Ryuuou finished with the girl's attacker. The girl looked at the powerful bird with fear. But its outlines blurred and in its place appeared Ryuuou.

'Who are you, sir?' the girl asked.

'Kyuuhou Ryuuou, a knight errant.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'You are a nine headed bird? Or a wizard?' the girl asked.

'A nine headed bird.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'So nine headed birds can take human form too?' the girl asked.

'Yes.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'Thank you, sir,' the girl said.

'What is your name?' Ryuuou asked.

'Li Meilin.' The girl smiled. 'I was going for a walk here in the mountains when this bandit seized me. Fortunately I know martial arts a bit.'

'Li Meilin? A beautiful name.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

Meilin blushed.

'What does it mean?' Ryuuou asked.

'Precious Jade.' Meilin blushed.

'It suits you.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

Meilin blushed.

'And yours means Dragon King, right?' Meilin asked.

'Yes.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'Please come to stay with us, Ryuuou-san,' Meilin asked.

'Gladly.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

At this point Hajime, Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri, Doumeki and Watanuki climbed out of the carriage.

'And who are you?' Meilin asked.

'We are traveling together,' Ryuuou said. 'Meet Ryuudou Hajime-san, his brothers Ryuudou Tsuzuku-san, Ryuudou Owaru-kun and Ryuudou Amaru-kun, their cousin Toba Matsuri-san and their friends Doumeki Shizuka-san and Watanuki Kimihiro-san.'

'Glad to meet you.' Meilin smiled. 'Please stay with us too.'

'Thank you.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Please follow me.' Meilin smiled.

'All right.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

Hajime, Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri, Doumeki and Watanuki climbed back into the carriage. Meilin walked on. Ryuuou walked by her side. The carriage followed them slowly.

Some time later they came to a Chinese manor surrounded by a wall with a gate with trees and Chinese roofs showing above it. Meilin opened the gate and came in. Ryuuou and the carriage followed her. In the courtyard there were many pavilions and trees. Meilin, Ryuuou and the carriage stopped. Hajime, Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri, Doumeki and Watanuki climbed out of the carriage.

'Please follow me,' Meilin said.

Travelers followed her. Meilin led them to one of the pavilions.

'Please wait a bit,' Meilin said.

She went out, and travelers waited. Some time later she returned with a handsome athletic young man with short black hair and black eyes, in a white silk Chinese robe. They sat down.

Some time later came a maidservant сarrying a tray with a watermelon with its rind carved with a mountain landscape and elegant Chinese characters, ten porcelain bowls and ten pairs of chopsticks. She put the tray on the table and went away.

'This is the Watermelon Chicken,' Meilin said. 'Look inside.'

Watanuki looked and saw there was a hole in the watermelon and inside were braised chicken, ham, bamboo slices, mushrooms and soup. Watanuki took some of these with his chopsticks and put them into his bowl with some of the pulp of the watermelon and tasted them.

'This is wonderful!' Watanuki said.

'Thank you.' Meilin smiled.

'I am glad you like it,' the young man said.

'This is my elder brother, Li Bailong,' Meilin said. 'Oniichan, meet Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san, Ryuudou Hajime-san, Ryuudou Tsuzuku-san, Ryuudou Owaru-kun, Ryuudou Amaru-kun, Toba Matsuri-san, Doumeki Shizuka-san and Watanuki Kimihiro-san.'

'Glad to meet you,' Bailong said.

'Bailong means White Dragon, right?' Ryuuou said.

'Yes,' Bailong said.

'Oniichan, Ryuuou-san is a nine headed bird!' Meilin said. 'When I was taking a walk in the woods a bandit attacked me. I struggled fiercely, but he was very strong. And then a nine headed bird fell on him from the sky with a shrill cry and began to bite and claw him and beat him with his large wings. When the bandit was dead, I looked at the nine headed bird with fear, but it suddenly turned into Ryuuou-san! He said that he was a knight errant and a nine headed bird and not a wizard.'

'That's amazing,' Bailong said.

'Yes.' Meilin smiled.

'Thank you for saving my sister, Ryuuou-san,' Bailong said.

'Don't mention it.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'Are you traveling?' Bailong asked.

'We discovered that we have distant relatives near Xining, so we are going to visit them,' Hajime said.

'That's far away,' Meilin said.

'Yes,' Hajime said.

'It's an interesting journey.' Meilin smiled.

'Yes,' Tsuzuku said.

'And Doumeki-san, Watanuki-san and Ryuuou-san?' Meilin asked.

'They are our friends,' Hajime said. 'Doumeki-san and Watanuki-san travel with us from the start, we picked them up in Fujian where they live, and Ryuuou-san met with us in Wuhan.'

'And Ryuuou-san decided to travel to Xining?' Meilin said. 'How daring!'

Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'So Doumeki-san and Watanuki-san are from Fujian?' Meilin asked. 'It's a lovely land.'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'Where do you live in Fujian?' Meilin asked.

'Near Anzhou, in a temple called Awamorishouma-in,' Watanuki answered.

'So you are priests?' Meilin asked.

'Yes, of the Shingon school,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Meilin said.

'That's a beautiful thumb ring, Doumeki-san, dark jade with flowers in gold,' Bailong observed.

'It's Kimihiro's gift,' Doumeki said.

'Are you lovers?' Meilin asked.

'Yes,' Doumeki said. Watanuki blushed.

'That's a wonderful gift.' Meilin smiled.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'So you are an archer, Doumeki-san?' Bailong asked.

'Yes, third dan,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Bailong said.

'And where are Hajime-san, his brothers and cousin from?' Meilin asked.

'Jiangsu, near Wuxi,' Hajime said.

'Southern Jiangsu? It's a beautiful land,' Meilin said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And you are a courtier, Tsuzuku-san?' Meilin asked.

'Yes, sixth rank.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'I help with papers.

'Oh,' Meilin said.

'And you are an Imperial Guard, Hajime-san?' Meilin asked.

'Yes, and the best archer of the court.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'He won the love of Matsuri-chan, but he is too slow to marry her.'

Hajime blushed. Meilin smiled.

'How did you meet Ryuuou-san?'

'Oh, we were looking at the Yellow Crane Tower, and I told about the history of the Yellow Crane Tower and recited the two poems about Yellow Crane Tower, one by Cui Hao and another by Li Bai, when Ryuuou-san approached us,' Tsuzuku said, fanning himself slowly. 'He said he wanted to fight with an Imperial Guard. Hajime agreed, and they fought. And Ryuuou-san won! I reminded the old saying, 'In the sky live nine headed birds, on the earth live Hubei people', and Ryuuou-san turned into a nine headed bird! Then he turned back into a young man and said that the saying appeared because there are many nine headed birds among Hubei people. Then he asked if he could go with us and to be of help to us, reciting the poem The Swordsman by Jia Dao, and we agreed, of course.'

'Oh!' Meilin said.

'For ten years I have been polishing this sword;

Its frosty edge have never been put to the test.

Now I am holding it and showing it to you, sir:

Is there anyone suffering from injustice?'

'My sword is at your service, Meilin-san.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'Ryuuou-san!' Meilin blushed.

Matsuri smiled.


	10. Chapter 10

Next morning they continued their journey. Some time later they came to a border post. Tsuzuku showed their papers to the guards, and they passed across the border. Ryuuou just flew across the border as a nine headed bird.

Some time later they descended from the mountains to a plain with woods, groves and fields.

'This is the Guanzhong, the great northern plain,' Tsuzuku said. 'The Yellow River runs across it to the sea, and it's the place where most of the old capitals of China are, Xi'an, Luoyang, Kaifeng and Xianyang.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They visited a small town called Nanyang, where there were an old mansion, the tomb of a famous doctor and pharmacist Zhang Heng, a temple of a famous scientist Zhang Zhongqing and a hut temple of Zhuge Liang, the famous general of the Kingdom of Shu. Watanuki bought an omamori from that temple for the fortuneteller Mr Zhuge who was a descendant of Zhuge Liang.

Some time later they came to a large city surrounded by a powerful wall.

'Oh, this is Xi'an,' Tsuzuku said.

Ryuuou flew down to the ground and took his human form.

They entered the city and stopped at a Chinese inn. Then they went for a walk around the city. They admired the ancient powerful walls of Xi'an, then they came to a large enclosure with intricate carved gate and wall, with more intricate carved gates and walls and courtyards with beautiful trees and rocks seen through the gate.

'This is the Great Mosque of Xi'an,' Tsuzuku said.

'What? Mosque? But it doesn't look like a mosque at all,' Watanuki said. 'A mosque usually looks as an Arabian style building with a large dome and a tall tower, right?'

'Yes, but this is China.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'That's right, things are different here,' a deep male voice said. They turned and saw a tall, slender man with a long nose, grey eyes and short brown hair, in a grey cloak with sleeves, with a cane in one hand and a small white long-haired dog with pointed ears, pointed muzzle and alert black eyes under other hand.

'Are you a traveler?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Yes,' the man said. 'And so are you, I see.'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'May I join you?' the man asked.

'Of course.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I am Evelyn Ravenscroft, but you can call me Eve,' the man said. 'And this beauty is Miranda-chan.'

'I am Ryuudou Tsuzuku.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Meet my brothers Ryuudou Hajime, Ryuudou Owaru and Ryuudou Amaru, our cousin Toba Matsuri-chan and our friends Doumeki Shizuka-kun, Watanuki Kimihiro-kun and Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san.'

'Glad to meet you.' Eve smiled.

'What kind of dog is Miranda-chan?' Matsuri asked.

'A Pomeranian, often called a Pom.' Eve smiled.

'How cute!' Matsuri said. 'I've never seen a dog like her.'

'Yes, there aren't many dogs like her in China.' Eve smiled.

Miranda barked in a high voice.

'Yes, my dear.' Eve smiled.

'You speak Yamato very well,' Tsuzuku remarked.

'I've traveled a lot around China.' Eve smiled.

'And where are you going now?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Oh, nowhere in particular.' Eve smiled. 'And you?'

'To Xining.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'We suddenly discovered we have distant relatives near Xining, in a village called Ryuusenkyou, so we are going there.'

'I see,' Eve said. 'Ryuusenkyou means Dragon Springs Village, it seems to be connected with your surname.'

'Maybe,' Tsuzuku said. 'Our surname means Dragon Hall. And yours?'

'Raven Manor.' Eve smiled.

'It's a good name.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes.' Eve smiled.

'And what does your given name mean?' Tsuzuku asked.

'It's unclear, since we do not have kanji, only alphabet, like your kana.' Eve smiled. 'But from what I've read, it means either Little Bird, from avis, bird in Latin, or Hazel, from a similar word for hazel in our language, avellane.'

'Little Bird or Hazel?' Tsuzuku smiled. 'It's a good name. Little Bird can be Kotori in our language.'

'Kotori? Yes, that's right.' Eve smiled.

'I think you know what my name means?' Tsuzuku smiled.

'To continue, yes.' Eve smiled.

'That's because I am Hajime-niisan's younger brother.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And it's very fitting, because he never lets go.' Matsuri smiled.

'And Owaru-kun's name, to end, and Amaru-kun's name, to remain, go well with your and Hajime-san's names, Tsuzuku-san.' Eve smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'And call me Tsuzuku-kun.'

Matsuri smiled.

'Are you English, Eve-san?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Yes.' Eve smiled.

'How old are you, Eve-san?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Forty-two,' Eve answered.

'I'm twenty.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'I'm younger than you, Eve-san.'

'Yes.' Eve smiled.

'Of what birth are you, Eve-san?' Tsuzuku asked.

'My fortune is not bad, but my birth is higher, I am a gentleman.' Eve smiled.

'Shakespeare, Twelfth Night,' Doumeki said.

'You know Shakespeare, Doumeki-san?' Eve asked.

'I like Shakespeare,' Doumeki said.

'Not many people know him here.' Eve smiled.

'Well, I do,' Doumeki said.

'Who is Shakespeare?' Tsuzuku asked.

'A famous playwright, like Chikamatsu Monzaemon or Ma Zhiyuan,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Tsuzuku said.

'Yes.' Eve smiled.

'What is your coat of arms, Eve-san?' Tsuzuku asked.

'A chevron between three raven heads.' Eve smiled.

'It's a good mon.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'In our language such arms are called canting arms, as they hint at the name of the bearer of the arms.' Eve smiled.

'Really?' Tsuzuku said.

'Yes.' Eve smiled.

'And our mon is a dragon curled into a circle.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'It's a good mon.' Eve smiled.

'Where in England are you from, Eve-san?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Lincolnshire.' Eve smiled. 'It's a northern county, a land of moors.'

'Oh,' Tsuzuku said.

'Tsuzuku-kun, by your dress you are a courtier, and Hajime-san is an Imperial Guard, right?' Eve asked.

'Yes, but from the Kingdom of Wu.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'I am a courtier of sixth rank. They can do without one guard, one clerk, two pages and one lady-in-waiting.'

'The lady-in-waiting would be Matsuri-san, and two pages, Owaru-kun and Amaru-kun?' Eve smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And Ryuuou-san?' Eve asked.

'I am a knight errant.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'And Watanuki-san and Doumeki-san?' Eve asked.

'We are priests,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Eve said.

'They are lovers.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Oh?' Eve said.

'As well as Hajime-niisan and Matsuri-chan.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'But Hajime-niisan and Shizuka-kun show their feelings so little!'

'Oh?' Eve said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'That's a very beautiful tessen, Tsuzuku-kun, golden with a powerful bamboo,' Eve said.

'Thank you.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Do you know tessenjutsu, Tsuzuku-kun?' Eve asked.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

They entered the mosque and looked around it. It was just like any Chinese temple, pavilions, courtyards and gardens. Then they saw a very elegant Chinese pavilion.

'And this is the minaret of this mosque,' Eve said.

'What? A minaret? It doesn't look like one at all!' Watanuki said.

'Yes it doesn't.' Eve smiled.

Then they left the mosque and walked around the city. They came to a massive but elegant three-tiered square tower on a large stone base.

'This is the Drum Tower,' Tsuzuku said. 'A drum sounds from it at sunset. There are many beautiful ancient drums on the first floor of the tower.'

They went inside the tower. There were many large drums with beautiful kanji and designs inside the large hall on the first floor.

They walked some more and came to another massive but elegant three-tiered square tower on a large stone base.

'This is the Bell Tower,' Tsuzuku said. 'A bell sounds from it at sunrise. There are several large bronze bells inside. There are also several legends about this tower. One says that once several earthquakes struck the Guanzhong area, thousands were dead and injured. Then a legend appeared: There was a great river flowing across the center of the Xi'an city. A dragon in the river was always active and caused trouble, so the earthquakes happened. An official of the Xi'an city believed these words, so he ordered the blacksmiths of the whole city to make a several thousand feet long iron chain in order to lock the dragon and sink it to the river. He then ordered 5000 craftsmen to repair the Bell Tower day and night in order to use the tower to lock the dragon, the central of the city. He believed this should suppress the dragon firmly under the river and so it no longer can be active and cause trouble again. After establishing the Bell Tower, earthquake did not occur in Xi'an again. There is also another legend. One emperor was born poorly and his parents passed away early. He depended on tending sheep for others when he was very little. When he grew up, he left home and became a monk. When he became emperor, he was afraid that the real emperor in the country will fight for the throne with him. He then ordered to build the bell towers to suppress the dragon power. Xi'an was the emperor's city in ancient times and it was the place of emperor's throne and so the dragon power was very strong, of course. The emperor was afraid, so the Bell Tower in Xi'an was built not only early but also very tall.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They went inside the tower and saw large bronze bells.

They walked around the city again and came to an elegant building.

'This is the Stele Forest,' Tsuzuku said. 'There are 3000 steles gathered here. First there were two groups of steles, Kaicheng Shi Jing and Shitai Xiao Jing. They were displayed in the temple of Confucius. When a rebel army sacked Xi'an, the steles were taken to the inner city. Then they were returned to the temple of Confucius, and later a separate hall was built for the steles. In the course of time many more steles were brought here.'

They went inside the hall. There were many beautiful steles there. One of them depicted a Yangtze flood control project, and another at first appeared just to depict a bamboo forest, but the branches and leaves were from Chinese characters forming a poem. There were ink rubbings of the steles sold nearby. Watanuki bought an ink rubbing of the stele with the bamboo forest formed from Chinese characters.

They walked around the city again.

'Tsuzuku-kun, do you know about the Western language of the fan?' Eve asked.

'No,' Tsuzuku said. 'What is that?'

'It's used to exchange messages subtly,' Eve said. 'Lovers use it, and just friends and acquaintances too.'

'Oh, that's interesting,' Tsuzuku said. 'We don't have anything like this, there are just fan signals that commanders use to communicate with soldiers.'

'There are many signals in this language,' Eve said. 'The fan placed near the heart means, 'You have won my love.' A closed fan touching the right eye means, 'When may I be allowed to see you?' The number of sticks shown answers the question, 'At what hour.' Threatening movements with a fan closed mean, 'Do not be so imprudent.' Half-opened fan pressed to the lips means, 'You may kiss me.' Hands clasped together holding an open fan mean, 'Forgive me.' Covering the left ear with an open fan means, 'Do not betray our secret.' Hiding the eyes behind an open fan means, 'I love you.' Shutting a fully opened fan slowly means, 'I promise to marry you.' Drawing the fan across the eyes means, 'I am sorry.' Touching the finger to the tip of the fan means, 'I wish to speak with you.' Letting the fan rest on the right cheek means, 'Yes.' Letting the fan rest on the left cheek means, 'No.' Opening and closing the fan several times means, 'You are cruel.' Dropping the fan means, 'We will be friends.' Fanning slowly means, 'I am married.' Fanning quickly means, 'I am engaged.' Putting the fan handle to the lips means, 'Kiss me.' Opening a fan wide means, 'Wait for me.' Placing the fan behind the head means, 'Do not forget me.' Placing the fan behind the head with finger extended means, 'Goodbye.' Fan in right hand in front of face means, 'Follow me.' Fan in left hand in front of face means, 'I am desirous of your acquaintance.' Fan held over right ear means, 'I wish to get rid of you.' Drawing the fan across the forehead means, 'You have changed.' Twirling the fan in the left hand means, 'We are being watched.' Twirling the fan in the right hand means, 'I love another.' Carrying the open fan in the right hand means, 'You are too willing.' Carrying the open fan in the left hand means, 'Come and talk to me.' Drawing the fan through the hand means, 'I hate you.' Drawing the fan across the cheek means, 'I love you!' Presenting the fan shut means, 'Do you love me?'

'It's very interesting,' Tsuzuku said. 'I must tell Hirugao-san, Asagao-san, Yuzuki-san, Miyuki-san, Minoru-san, Yuusuke-san and Nokoru-san.'

'Who's Nokoru-san?' Watanuki asked.

'A young Amenosa, Imonoyama Nokoru-san,' Tsuzuku explained. 'He always carries a fan with him. He has two assistants, his best friends, Takamura Suou-san and Ijuin Akira-san, and now he uses military signals to give them signs. He will love this new system.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'So my favorite gesture, fanning slowly, would create an impression that I'm married?' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes.' Eve smiled. 'And that is not the case?'

'No.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I thought so,' Eve said.

Suddenly Tsuzuku opened his fan and hid his eyes behind the golden fan with a powerful bamboo painted on it.

'What?' Eve said.

Tsuzuku let his fan rest on his right cheek.

Matsuri smiled.

'You remember the language of the fan very well,' Eve observed.

'I stood on Ao's head,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Eve said.

They came to a tall pagoda with many square harmonious tiers.

'This is the Great Wild Goose Pagoda,' Tsuzuku said. 'It was built for holding Buddhist sutras. It suffered from fires many times. There is a large monastery around it. Graduate students leave inscriptions in this monastery after they win examinations.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They went to the monastery, looked around it and looked at the students' inscriptions. Then they left and walked around the city again.

They came to a very tall elegant pagoda built of stone but made to look as if it was built of wood.

'This is the Little Wild Goose Pagoda,' Tsuzuku said. 'It was built to contain relics of Xuanzang, a monk who traveled to India and brought Buddhist sutras from there. This pagoda lost some tiers in a fire, but it is still very tall.'

'It seems there are a lot of fires here,' Watanuki observed.

'Yes,' Tsuzuku said.

They came to the temple that was around the pagoda. It was beautiful and there were many white marble statues of bizarre animals. Then they came to a large beautiful bell in one of the courtyards. Near it there was a stall with a monk and a lot of people writing something on slips of paper and giving them to the monk.

'What is this?' Watanuki asked.

'It is said that this bell can carry one's greetings to loved ones who are far away. One only needs to write down their names,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh!' Watanuki said. 'I want to go there.

'Me too!' Ryuuou said.

Watanuki and Ryuuou went to the stall and joined the queue. The others waited for them near the stall.

When their turn came, Ryuuou wrote 'Li Meilin' and Watanuki wrote 'Ichihara Yuuko', 'Kunogi Himawari' and 'Tsuyuri Kohane'. They gave the slips of paper to the monk and went away.

'Ichihara Yuuko-san, Kunogi Himawari-san and Tsuyuri Kohane-san, eh?' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Those are all ladies' names. You are popular, Kimihiro-kun!'

'No!' Watanuki blushed. 'Yuuko-san is my teacher, Himawari-chan is a dear friend, and Kohane-chan is my little sister.'

'Is she your half-sister or step-sister?' Tsuzuku asked. 'For your surnames are different.'

'She is my sworn sister,' Watanuki answered.

'Oh,' Tsuzuku said.

'Ichihara Yuuko-san, the Witch of Dimensions, is your teacher?' Eve asked.

'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'You know her?'

'I am a wizard,' Eve said. 'I feel you have strong powers. All of you, in fact.'

'That's because I am a seer, Doumeki is an exorcist, Ryuuou-san is a nine headed bird, and Hajime-san, Tsuzuku-kun, Owaru-kun, Amaru-kun and Matsuri-chan are possibly descended from the Four Dragon Kings,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Eve said.

'So we are possibly dragons.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'You aren't afraid?'

'No,' Eve said.

'Good.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Is Ryuusenkyou connected to your lineage?' Eve asked.

'Maybe,' Tsuzuku said. 'We are going there to learn more about that. Hajime read in the family archives about all this and so we are going to Ryuusenkyou.'

'Oh,' Eve said. 'It's very interesting.'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yuuko-san is a fabulous woman, isn't she, Watanuki-san?' Eve smiled.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

Yuuko was having a party with Himawari, Kohane, obaasan, Maru, Moro and Mokona in her shop. They were drinking sake and eating sushi, onigiri, mochi, tamagoyaki and dorayaki. Suddenly they heard a clear sound of a bell. And Yuuko had a feeling that Watanuki said to her, 'Hello, Yuuko-san, I miss you.'

So it's that bell in Xi'an, Yuuko thought.

'Huh?' Himawari said. 'When that bell sounded, I had a feeling that Watanuki-kun said to me, 'Hello, Himawari-chan, I miss you.'

'Oh, me too!' Kohane said.

'There is a bell in Xi'an that can carry one's greetings to one's loved ones who are far away, if one writes their names down,' Yuuko said. 'But why is Watanuki in Xi'an? I hope Doumeki-kun is with him! Moko-chan!'

'Yes!' Mokona said and opened a portal.

Watanuki, Doumeki, Hajime, Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri, Ryuuou and Eve were having tea with spring rolls on a beautiful Chinese terrace looking to a garden with beautiful trees and rocks outside the travelers' rooms in the Chinese inn. Suddenly a portal appeared in the air. Through the portal were seen Yuuko, Himawari, Kohane, obaasan, Maru, Moro and Mokona having a party at Yuuko's shop.

'Yuuko-san?' Watanuki said.

'So you are in a good company, Watanuki-chan.' Yuuko smiled. 'I heard that beautiful bell and wondered why you are in Xi'an.'

'Oh!' Watanuki said.

'Watanuki-chan?' Tsuzuku asked. 'So you were lovers after all?'

'No, it's just Yuuko-san,' Watanuki said.

'Are you traveling, Watanuki? And who are your companions?' Yuuko asked.

'Yes, I am traveling,' Watanuki said. 'Meet Ryuudou Hajime-san, Ryuudou Tsuzuku-kun, Ryuudou Owaru-kun, Ryuudou Amaru-kun, Toba Matsuri-chan, Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san and Ravenscroft Evelyn-san. Though Eve-san says he knows you.'

'Good evening, Yuuko-san.' Eve smiled.

'Good evening, Eve-chan.' Yuuko smiled.

'See?' Watanuki said.

'I see you are beautiful as always, Yuuko-san.' Eve smiled.

'Flatterer.' Yuuko smiled.

'Not at all.' Eve smiled.

'How are you, Eve-chan?' Yuuko asked.

'Not bad.' Eve smiled.

'Glad to hear that.' Yuuko smiled.

'I am not asking if you are well, for I know from experience that if a woman is beautiful it means she is well.' Eve smiled.

'Lope de Vega, Dog in the Manger,' Doumeki said.

'You know Lope de Vega also?' Eve said.

'I like Lope de Vega,' Doumeki said.

'Who's Lope de Vega?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Another famous playwright,' Doumeki said.

'Ano, and those who are out there are Ichihara Yuuko-san, Kunogi Himawari-chan, Tsuyuri Kohane-chan, Abe Mitsuki-san, Morodashi-chan, Marudashi-chan and Mokona-chan,' Watanuki said.

'Oniichan,' Kohane smiled.

'Kohane-chan.' Watanuki smiled back.

'Watanuki-kun.' Himawari smiled.

'Himawari-chan.' Watanuki smiled.

'Moko-chan, send some of our treats over there,' Yuuko ordered.

'Yes!' Mokona said and sucked in some food and sake. Instantly this food and sake appeared before the party in Xi'an.

'Wow!' Owaru said.

'Where are you going to, Watanuki-chan?' Yuuko asked.

'Well, Hajime-san discovered in the family archives that their family is descended from the Four Dragon Kings and that their ancestors lived in a village called Ryuusenkyou near Xining, and we are going there,' Watanuki said.

'I see a blue dragon inside of Hajime-san, a red dragon inside of Tsuzuku-san, a white dragon inside of Owaru-kun, a black dragon inside of Amaru-kun, and, strangely, a scarlet phoenix inside of Matsuri-san and a nine headed bird inside of Ryuuou-san,' Yuuko said.

'Well, I am a nine headed bird.' Ryuuou smiled broadly.

'So Matsuri-chan really is a phoenix?' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Maybe,' Yuuko said.

'Yuuko-san, it seems that Hajime-san, Tsuzuku-kun, Owaru-kun, Amaru-kun and Matsuri-chan also are descended from a powerful wizard called Clow Reed,' Watanuki said. 'Do you know him?'

'Clow Reed was a close friend of mine,' Yuuko said. 'You are also descended from him, Watanuki.'

'What?' Watanuki said.

'So you are our distant cousin, Kimihiro-kun!' Tsuzuku said. 'It seems I was right calling you Kimihiro-kun, itoko-san!'

'Yes.' Matsuri smiled.

'How unusual,' Watanuki said.

'So now it turns out that I have two cousins who are in love with imperturbable archers.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes.' Matsuri smiled.

'Now you can ask Hajime for Kimihiro- kun's hand in marriage, Shizuka-kun!' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Hm, really,' Doumeki said.

'Now you simply must visit our manor!' Tsuzuku said. 'As you are our cousin, it's yours too! And you must meet our friends at court, they'll be very surprised! And how Asagao-san, Hirugao-san, Minoru-san and Yuzuki-san will be surprised!'

'And also Yuusuke-san and Miyuki-san,' Watanuki said.

'Yes, they too.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'That innkeeper, Hiiragiya Touya-san, said he was Clow Reed's descendant too,' Watanuki said. 'It seems he has many descendants.'

'They say he was a charming man,' Tsuzuku said. 'So it's no wonder.'

'Yes.' Yuuko smiled.

'Kimihiro-kun, you can use our mon now, as you are our cousin,' Tsuzuku said. 'You don't have another one, right?'

'If I do I don't remember it,' Watanuki said.

'Kimihiro-kun, why don't you go right to our manor with us after we visit Ryuusenkyou?' Tsuzuku said. 'And you, Shizuka-kun, are welcome too. And you, Eve-san, please come with us too!'

'Thank you, I will.' Eve smiled.

'Thank you, Tsuzuku-kun, I will be happy to.' Watanuki smiled.

Doumeki just nodded.

'Wait, so all this means that Kohane-chan is our cousin too!' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes, itoko-san.' Kohane smiled.

In the woody hills of the northern Hubei, in the manor of Clear Stream, Li Meilin and her older brother Li Bailong were eating meat floss in a pavilion, when they heard a clear sound of a bell. Meilin had a feeling that Ryuuou said to her, 'Meilin-san, I miss you.'

'Oniichan, it's that bell in Xi'an!' Meilin said. 'Ryuuou-san misses me!'

'Oh?' Bailong said.

'I hope he is safe,' Meilin said.

Next morning they went in the carriage to the neighorhood of Xi'an, to see some interesting places, as Tsuzuku said. Eve was sitting in the formely empty place next to Tsuzuku. They crossed a large beautiful river, Tsuzuku explained it was the Yellow River. On the other side of the river Tsuzuku started to ask passers-by where Youkihi-sama's tomb was. People gave him directions.

'Youkihi-sama? That Youkihi-sama?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes, that Youkihi-sama, Yang Guifei, the most beautiful woman of the Celestial Empire, the favorite concubine of the Emperor Xuanzong.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'They say that she commited suicide or was killed, and also they say that she became a fairy after her death. Others say that she escaped and taught us the Yamato people good manners. Anyways, the tomb here is only a symbolic one, a memorial.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

Some time later they came to a beautiful Chinese temple with a white marble statue of a beautiful Chinese woman near it.

'That's her, Youkihi-sama,' Tsuzuku said.

They entered the temple. First there was a hall for sacrifices, then many meandering halls and courtyards. Then they came to Youkihi's symbolic mound.

'There it is,' Tsuzuku said. 'Girls take some soil from Youkihi's mound and make a powder with it so to become more beautiful. And lovers make vows of love here.'

Watanuki and Hajime blushed. Matsuri leaned and took a pinch of earth from the mound.

'So, Hajime-niisan, Matsuri-chan, Shizuka-kun, Kimihiro-kun, what about you?' Tsuzuku smiled.

Hajime blushed again.

'I...love you, Matsuri-chan,' he said.

'I love you too, Hajime.' Matsuri smiled.

'I love you, Kimihiro,' Doumeki said calmly.

Watanuki blushed fiercely.

'I...love you, Shizuka,' he said.

Matsuri smiled.

'There, was that so hard?' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And what about you, Tsuzuku-kun?' Matsuri asked.

Tsuzuku smiled and hid his eyes behind his fan.

Eve smiled to him.

'There are definitely a lot of foxes in your lineage somewhere, Tsuzuku-kun.' Matsuri smiled.

'Maybe.' Tsuzuku smiled.

They rode through the countryside again, crossed the Yellow River again and rode through the countryside some more. They came to an arch with Chinese characters carved on it and stopped.

'These are the Huaqing Hot Springs,' Tsuzuku said. 'King You of the Western Zhou Dynasty first built a palace here, then it was renovated by the first Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Western Han. Emperor Xuanzong built a magnificent palace here and spent a lot of time with Yang Guifei here, he visited Huaqing Hot Springs 36 times in 41 years of his reign. This place is full of memories of their love.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They passed through the arch and then between two towering cedars and then between two symmetrical plunge baths looking like palaces, then turned right and came to a large beautiful lake with fragrant lotuses and many beautiful Chinese pavilions surrounded by willows and rocks around it. By the waters of the lake there was a white marble statue of a beautiful Chinese woman about to bathe.

'This is Youkihi-sama,' Tsuzuku said.

Watanuki nodded.

'This lake is called Nine Dragon Lake,' Tsuzuku said. 'And the buildings around it are Flying Frost Hall, or Feishuang Hall, Yichun Hall, Chenxiang Hall, Nine Bend Corridor and Dragon Marble Boat. Flying Frost Hall, the one with red pillars and fine carving, was the bedroom of Emperor Xuanzong and Youkihi-sama.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Eve-chan, can you show some magic?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Of course.' Eve smiled.

He raised his right hand. A wave of blue light with large dancing snowflakes appeared from an amber ring on his right hand, and an image of a large crimson water lily appeared in the air. Then the water lily and the wave of light disappeared.

'Amazing!' Tsuzuku said. 'Are there really water lilies like this?'

'Yes, I saw them,' Eve said.

'Wonderful!' Tsuzuku said.

Tsuzuku half opened his fan and pressed it to his lips.

Eve leaned and kissed Tsuzuku.

They stayed like that for a long time. When they finally pulled apart, both Eve and Tsuzuku smiled.

'This is what happens when you teach a Chinese courtier the language of the fan,' Eve said.

'This is what happens when you teach Ryuudou Tsuzuku-kun the language of the fan.' Matsuri smiled.

They passed through the Dragon Marble Boat and several pavilions and came to several pools.

'This is the Imperial Pool,' Tsuzuku said. 'The one in the shape of a lotus is Lotus Pool, it's for emperors, the one in the shape of a crabapple is Haitang Pool, it's for concubines, and the other pools are Shangshi Pool for officials, Prince Pool and Star Pool. Star Pool never had a roof or walls. It must have been wonderful to see Youkihi-sama bathing in the Star Pool.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

Then they came to a garden with many Chinese pavilions and a bridge.

'This is Huan Garden,' Tsuzuku said. 'And these pavilions are Lotus Pavilion, Viewing Lake Tower, or Wanghu Lou, Flying Glow Hall, or Feixia Ge, and Five Room Hall, or Wujian Ting, and the bridge is Flying Rainbow Bridge, or Feihong Qiao. They say that Flying Glow Hall was the place where Youkihi-sama would overlook the scenery and cool down her long hair.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They walked around the garden and came to a large marble mural of a feast and a beautiful Chinese woman serving an emperor at the feast. There was a Chinese inscription on the mural.

'The writing says, 'Yang Guifei Was Summoned to Serve the Emperor in Huaqing Hot Spring',' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'See that mountain over there and the tower on it?' Tsuzuku said. 'It's Lishan and the Western Zhou beacon tower. There is a legend about that tower, called 'Misusing the Beacon Tower to Tease the Vassals'. It happened in the Western Zhou dynasty during the reign of fatuous King You. At first he ruled his state relatively peacefully and prosperously and allied with the neighoring feoffs by using a beacon tower in case of invasion of other peoples. If an incident occurred, he could light the fire on the tower as a signal, and then his allies would come to help. However, everything changed after he asked a small country, Bao, to pay the beauty Bao Si in tribute. After Bao Si, who was extremely charming, moved into his palace, she started missing her parents a lot and never presented a single smile. To please her, the King made her the new queen and gave her plenty of largess, but she kept her long face intact and remained taciturn. In lack of another solution, a treacherous court official called Guo Shifu suggested lighting the fire on the beacon tower in order to fool the vassals of another states. King You brought his favorite queen to the tower and followed Guo Shifu's advice. Upon seeing the flame licking the sky, troops of allied feoffs hurried to the tower. To their surprise, they discovered nothing more dangerous than the laughter of King You and Bao Si, so they returned to their feoffs in sulking dismay. Seeing the happy smile of Bao Si, King You delightedly rewarded Guo Shifu with a thousand taels of gold. After that, he and his queen played with the beacon tower several times, and each time the troops would leave disappointed. One day, a people called Quan Rong presented a real threat to the kingdom. The King immediately set the beacon tower on fire, but this time, the troops no longer believed him and never showed up in defence. The King was killed and his queen was captured, thus ending the Western Zhou dynasty. This story gave birth to the sayings, 'A smile values a thousand taels of gold' and 'Misusing the beacon tower to tease vassals.' Ah, the power of love and beauty!'

'Westerners have a saying, 'Never cry 'wolf',' Doumeki said. 'They say there was a boy who often cried, 'Wolf!', when he played. People became used that he was just playing when he was crying that, and when a wolf really came, he cried, 'Wolf!' but no one came, and the wolf ate him. One should never use a signal of danger just as a joke.'

'Yes.' Hajime nodded.

'This saying is that of my native country,' Eve said. 'You know a lot about Westerners, Doumeki-san.'

'I read a lot,' Doumeki said.

'Watanuki-san is very fortunate.' Eve smiled.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'What do you mean yes!' Watanuki shouted.

Eve, Tsuzuku and Matsuri smiled.


	11. Chapter 11

Next morning they left Xi'an and continued their way through the countryside. They visited a town called Baoji with a temple and the tomb of Emperor Yandi, one of the forefathers of the Chinese, who taught the Chinese to farm and discovered the medicinal herbs to make the lives of the Chinese easier, and also with a memorial temple of Zhuge Liang. Watanuki bought omamori for Mr Zhuge too. Then they visited Maijishan Grottoes near a town called Tianshui, many caves with beautiful Buddhist clay statues, mostly of Amida, Kannon, Ananda and Kashyapa. Then they came to a town called Linxia and stopped in a Chinese inn, and Tsuzuku said they are going to see the Baling Caves. Tsuzuku led them to a river and called a boat and told the boatman to take them to the Baling Caves. Tsuzuku explained that the caves could be reached only by boat and that only in the summer and autumn. They got to the caves. The caves were large and meandering and full of beautiful Buddhist murals, reliefs and statues. They wandered in the caves for a long time and then returned to the rock face where the boatman waited for them and got back to Linxia. Next morning they left Linxia.

As they continued their journey, the green hills gradually gave way to smooth mountains. Then they came to a large town.

'Oh, this is Xining,' Tsuzuku said. 'Our goal.'

They got into the town and stopped in a Chinese inn. Then they went to roam around the town. They came to a beautiful mosque with blue domes and white arches.

'This is the Great Mosque of Xining,' Tsuzuku said.

'This is how mosques usually look,' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'The one in Xi'an is unique.'

Then they walked out of the town and strolled among the mountains for some time. Finally they came to a large beautiful lake with islands.

'This is the Qinghai Lake, Koko Nor in Mongolian,' Tsuzuku said. 'Both of these names mean the same - Blue Sea. It does look like a sea, doesn't it? It's one of the largest lakes in China. It's a salty lake. On one of the islands there's a temple called the Heart of the Lake.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

When they returned to the town, Watanuki asked:

'And where is the village, Ryuusenkyou? You said it was near Xining.'

'The papers I found say that there is an underground passage in the kura of one of the temples of Xining, and it leads to the village,' Hajime said. 'The village is in a secluded valley.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'We'll go there now!' Tsuzuku said. 'Why delay that?'

'Why, really?' Matsuri smiled.

They came to a small beautiful old Chinese temple and came inside. They found a kura, an old building. Hajime searched the kura and lifted one floor board. They saw steps leading down. They went down the steps and found themselves in a dark vaulted passage. Eve raised his hand, and a blue wave of power accompanied by large dancing snowflakes washed over him and light appeared around him. They walked along the passage and at last saw light and steps leading up. They went up the steps and saw a charming Chinese village in a beautiful valley surrounded by high mountains. There was a beautiful arch with an inscription saying, 'Dragon Springs Village.' they walked along the village and saw a Japanese inn with roofs and trees showing above a wall and an inscription saying, 'Tsubame Ryokan' on the gate.

'Tsubame Ryokan, Swallow Inn, a good name,' Tsuzuku said.

They walked through the gate and through a beautiful Japanese garden, and in one of the buildings they found a tall, slender young woman with large dark eyes and black shining hair in a complicated knot, in a pink kimono. She was sitting on the floor.

'Good evening. We would like to stay here,' Tsuzuku said. 'I am Ryuudou Tsuzuku. Meet my brothers Ryuudou Hajime, Ryuudou Owaru and ryuudou Amaru, my cousins Toba Matsuri-chan and Watanuki Kimihiro, Kimihiro-kun's lover Doumeki Shizuka-kun, my lover Evelyn Ravenscroft and our friend Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san.'

'Good evening,' the young woman said. 'I am Tsubame Yunohana, the owner of this inn. You are welcome.'

'Thank you.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'You have a beautiful name.'

'Thank you.' Yunohana smiled.

'Evening flower?' Watanuki asked.

'Flower of the warm water, literally,' Doumeki said. 'Flowers of sulfur, hot-springs encrustation.'

'that's right.' tsuzuku smiled.

The travelers sat down. Yunohana rose and went out and some time later returned carrying a tray with a dish of shelled shrimps seasoned with fragrant tea and embellished with tea leaves and ten pairs of chopsticks. She put the tray on the floor and sat down.

'What a fragrance,' Watanuki said.

'These are Biluo shelled shrimps,' Yunohana said. 'They are seasoned with Biluochun tea that is grown on the east and west hills of the Dongting Lake.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Tsuzuku-san is a courtier and Hajime-san is an Imperial Guard, right,' Yunohana asked.

'Yes, but in the kingdom of Wu.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And what brings you here?' Yunohana asked.

'I found in the family archives that our family comes from Ryuusenkyou, and that we are descended from the Four Dragon Kings, so we went here to learn more about that,' Hajime explained.

'Oh,' Yunohana said. 'In this valley there really was a family descended from the Four Dragon Kings, and their name was Ryuudou. But one day a young heir of this family left the valley to seek adventures.'

'Oh,' Hajime said.

'I really see a blue dragon inside of Hajime-san, a red dragon inside of Tsuzuku-san, a white dragon inside of Owaru-kun and a black dragon inside of Amaru-kun,' Yunohana said. 'But I see no dragons inside of Matsuri-san or Kimihiro-san.'

'In Matsuri-chan the dragon blood is maybe diluted.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'She's the daughter of our father's sister. And Kimihiro-kun is not from that side of the family. He's our distant cousin because he's a descendant of the wizard Clow Reed like us.'

'Oh,' Yunohana said.

'So this is really the homeland of our ancestors,' Tsuzuku said.

'Yes. You can look in the temple here for more details,' Yunohana said.

'Thanks, we will.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Destiny brought you far from home,' Yunohana said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'We live near Wuxi.'

'Oh, the South,' Yunohana said. 'There is Heaven above, and on the Earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou.'

'Yes, it's a lovely land.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'You must have seen many interesting things during your journey,' Yunohana said.

'Yes, Lushan Mountain, Poyang Lake, Prince of Teng's Pavilion, Hengshan Mountain, Dongting Lake, Yuelu Mountain, Yuelu Academy, Yueyang Tower, Yellow Crane Tower, Lute Platform, golden snub-nosed monkeys, a Shennongjia Yeren, Xi'an, Huaqing Hot Springs, the tomb of Youkihi-sama, Maijishan Caves, Baling Caves and Qinghai Lake.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Oh,' Yunohana said. 'But a lot of these places aren't on the way from Wuxi to Xining!'

'We first went to Fujian to pick up Kimihiro-kun and Shizuka-kun who live there in an old temple in a large bamboo forest.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Us being my brothers, Matsuri-chan and me. Ryuuou-san and Eve-chan joined us later.'

'Oh,' Yunohana said.

'But how do you know that many of those places aren't on the way from Wuxi to Xining?' Tsuzuku asked. 'This place is secluded!'

'Many Taoists and beings that can fly stop in this ryokan.' Yunohana smiled.

'Oh,' Tsuzuku said. 'Ryuuou-san and maybe Matsuri-chan are beings that can fly, though they didn't come here by air.'

'Really?' Yunohana asked.

'Yes, Ryuuou-san is a nine-headed bird and Matsuri_-_chan is maybe a phoenix.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Maybe?' Yunohana asked.

'A powerful witch said she saw a phoenix inside of Matsuri-chan and as she also saw dragon inside of us and a nine-headed bird inside of Ryuuou-san, well.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'What witch was that?' Yunohana asked.

'You have probably heard about her,' Watanuki said. 'The Witch of Dimensions, Ichihara Yuuko-san. She's my friend.'

'Oh,' Yunohana said. 'I heard about her, of course.'

'She's that well known?' Tsuzuku asked.

'She's probably the most powerful witch in the world,' Watanuki said.

'Oh,' Tsuzuku said.

'That's a beautiful thumb ring, Shizuka-san,' Yunohana said. 'Dark jade and golden flowers.'

'Yes, it is,' Doumeki said. 'Kimihiro gave it to me.'

'Kimihiro-san has a very good taste.' Yunohana smiled.

'Yes,' Doumeki said

'Are you an archer, Shizuka-san?' Yunohana asked.

'Yes, I have third dan,' Doumeki said.

'Oh,' Yunohana said.

At this point entered a tall, slender young person with long shining black hair, large dark eyes and fine features, in a blue Chinese robe and with a flute in one hand and a basket of flowers in another.

'Konbanwa, Yunohana-chan,' the guest said.

'Konbanwa, Saiwa-san.' Yunohana smiled.

'New guests?' Saiwa asked.

'Yes, Saiwa-san.' Yunohana smiled.

'Introduce me, please.' Saiwa smiled.

'All right.' Yunohana smiled. 'Saiwa-san, meet Ryuudou Hajime-san, his brothers Ryuudou Tsuzuku-san, Ryuudou Owaru-kun and Ryuudou Amaru-kun and their cousins Toba Matsuri-san and Watanuki Kimihiro-san and Kimihiro-san's lover Doumeki Shizuka-san, Tsuzuku-san's lover Ravenscroft Evelyn-san and their friend Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san. And this is Ran Saiwa-san.'

'Ran Saiwa-san or Lan Caihe in Chinese, one of the Hassen, Eight Taoist Sages?' Doumeki said.

'Yes.' Saiwa smiled.

'Eh?' Watanuki said.

'I told you that Taoists often stay here.' Yunohana smiled.

'Indeed,' Doumeki said.

Saiwa sat down near them.

'They say that Ran Saiwa-san is a wandering flutist whose gender is unknown,' Doumeki said.

'I am male.' Saiwa laughed. 'And I am a wandering flutist, yes.'

'A wandering flutist?' Watanuki asked. 'I know another one, he's a komusoh. His name is Kudou Yuusuke-san. Have you met?'

'No,' Saiwa said. 'But if I meet him I'll tell him that I met you.'

'I feel that you are very powerful, Saiwa-san,' Watanuki said.

'You are powerful too, all of you.' Saiwa smiled. 'I feel that Kimihiro-san is a seer, Shizuka-san is an exorcist, Evelyn-san is a wizard, Ryuuou-san is a nine headed bird, and oh, Matsuri-san is a phoenix and Hajime-san, Tsuzuku-san, Owaru-kun and Amaru-kun are dragons, a blue one, a red one, a white one and a black one, exactly like the Four Dragon Kings! There once was a family called Ryuudou in this valley, descended from them. Are you their descendants then?'

'Yes,' Hajime said. 'I've found in the family archives that our family comes from this valley and that we are descended from the Four Dragon Kings, so we went here.'

'I see,' Saiwa said.

'I looked in the family archives because Kimihiro-kun said I felt not quite human,' Hajime said.

'Well, he was right, and that's not surprising, because he's a powerful seer.' Saiwa smiled.

'Really?' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Saiwa smiled. 'You aren't sure?'

'Not quite,' Watanuki said.

'Rest assured that you are.' Saiwa smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Yunohana-san told us about our ancestors and said to look in the kura of the local temple for more,' Hajime said.

'Yes, they must have the records,' Saiwa said. 'I can go with you and help you.'

'Thank you, Saiwa-san,' Hajime said.

'Do you serve at court?' Saiwa asked.

'Aniki, Owaru, Amaru, Matsuri-chan and me yes, but in the Kingdom of Wu.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Kimihiro and Shizuka are priests in a small lovely old temple in Fujian, and Ryuuou-san is a knight errant.'

'I see,' Saiwa said. 'The Kingdom of Wu? That's far away.'

'Yes,' Tsuzuku said. 'We live near Wuxi.'

'Southern Jiangsu is a lovely land.' Saiwa smiled. 'I'll visit you some day.'

'You are welcome.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'That's a lovely thumb ring, Shizuka-san.' Saiwa smiled.

'It was Kimihiro's gift,' Doumeki said.

'I see,' Saiwa said. 'Are you an archer?'

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

'What dan are you?' Saiwa asked.

'Third,' Doumeki said.

'Impressive,' Saiwa said.

'You know about those things, I see,' Watanuki said.

'Well, I'm a wandering flutist after all, for many hundreds of years.' Saiwa smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Do you know that there is a very good rotenburo here?' Saiwa asked.

'Yes, we want to go there,' Tsuzuku said.

'May I join you?' Saiwa asked.

'Of course.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Now let's go to the temple,' Saiwa said.

'Yes,' Tsuzuku said.

They left the inn and walked through the village till they came to a small beautiful temple. They walked through the gate of the temple. A tall, slender young man with black eyes and black hair tied in a ponytail and with two long locks on the sides of his face, in a white and blue wide closed robe, was sweeping the courtyard of the temple.

'Good afternoon, Soseki-san.' Saiwa smiled.

'Good afternoon, Saiwa-san.' Soseki smiled. 'You brought some friends, I see?'

'Yes.' Saiwa smiled. 'Meet Ryuudou Hajime-san, his brothers Ryuudou Tsuzuku-san, Ryuudou Owaru-kun and Ryuudou Amaru-kun, their cousins Toba Matsuri-san and Watanuki Kimihiro-san, Kimihiro-san's lover Doumeki Shizuka-san, Tsuzuku-san's lover Ravenscroft Evelyn-san and their friend Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san. And this is Tatsumiya Soseki-san, the priest of this temple, Tatsumiya Temple.'

'Glad to meet you.' Soseki smiled.

'Tatsumiya, Dragon Temple?' Doumeki asked.

'Yes, because this is Ryuusenkyou Village.' Soseki smiled.

'I see,' Doumeki said.

'Hajime-san and his brothers are apparently descendants of the Ryuudou family that lived here,' Saiwa said.

'Oh?' Soseki said. 'I can see four dragons exactly like the Four Dragon Kings inside of Hajime-san and his brothers, a blue dragon inside of Hajime-san, a red dragon inside of Tsuzuku-san, a white dragon inside of Owaru-kun and a black dragon inside of Amaru-kun.'

'I found in the family archives that our ancestors lived here and were descended from the Four Dragon Kings,' Hajime said. 'Then we were told that in the kura of this temple there could be some more papers about that. Could I take a look?'

'Of course!' Soseki smiled. 'I'll show you the way.'

'Thank you very much.' Hajime bowed.

Soseki put his broom against the gate.

'Follow me,' he said.

He walked away, and the guests followed him.

'Hajime-san is an Imperial Guard, and Tsuzuku-san is a courtier, ne?' Soseki asked.

'Yes, but in the Kingdom of Wu, not in this Kingdom of Wei.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'That's far away from here.' Soseki smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'There are no dragons inside of Kimihiro-san and Matsuri-san, I see,' Soseki said.

'Matsuri-chan is the daughter of our father's sister, and Kimihiro-kun is our cousin because he is a descendant of the wizard Clow Reed too,' Tsuzuku explained.

'Oh, Clow Reed?' Soseki said. 'That's a powerful combination.'

'Yes, it is.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'That's a beautiful fan, golden with a powerful bamboo.' Soseki smiled.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'It's a tessen, ne?' Soseki asked.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Soseki led them through the beautiful Japanese garden to the kura. The kura was a large beautiful old building. They entered the kura. There were many shelves with books and many nooks inside. Hajime confidently went to one of the nooks. Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru and Matsuri followed him. Watanuki, Doumeki, Eve, Ryuuou and Saiwa began to look through the books near the entrance of the kura.

'There sure are a lot of books here,' Watanuki said.

'Yes,' Doumeki said.

Some time later they suddenly saw that the nook where Hajime, Tsuzuku, Owaru, Amaru and Matsuri went to was on fire. Eve jumped to his feet and raised his hand with the ring, Saiwa raised his hand too, but suddenly a beam from the ceiling fell to the nook.

'Tsuzuku-chan!' Eve shouted. But then something rushed up from the nook and broke through the ceiling. And then they saw through the hole in the roof four powerful Chinese dragons, a blue one, a red one, a white one and a black one and a beautiful red Chinese phoenix by the blue dragon's side, all five of them soaring in the sky. Then suddenly black clouds appeared in the sky and rain started falling down. The rain put the fire out instantly.

'Wow!' Watanuki said.

They went outside and looked at the four dragons and the phoenix soaring in the blue sky above the tall green trees. Ryuuou looked at them and suddenly turned into the nine headed bird, flew up and joined the dragons and the phoenix. Saiwa looked at the dragons, the phoenix and the nine headed bird and suddenly turned into a white crane, flew up and joined them. Eve looked at the dragons, the phoenix, the nine headed bird and the white crane and raised his hand. A blue wave of power accompanied by large dancing snowflakes washed over him, and he turned into a golden phoenix. He flew up and soared by the red dragon's side.

'Only we can't turn into anything,' Watanuki grumbled.

'Are you jealous?' Doumeki asked.

'Of course not!' Watanuki shouted.

'Oh, the Four Dragon Kings!' A young female voice said.

Watanuki turned and saw a tall slender young girl with very dark skin, long shining black hair and dark eyes, in a white kimono with wide sleeves and a red hakama.

'No, their descendants.' Watanuki smiled. 'They are my cousins, Ryuudou Hajime, Ryuudou Tsuzuku, Ryuudou Owaru and Ryuudou Amaru. The red phoenix is another cousin of mine, Toba Matsuri-chan, the golden phoenix is Tsuzuku's lover Ravenscroft Evelyn-san, the nine headed bird is our friend Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san, and the white crane is Ran Saiwa-san. Only we two can't turn into anything. I am Watanuki Kimihiro, and this is my lover Doumeki Shizuka.'

'Oh,' the girl said. 'And I'm Tatsumiya Mana, a miko here, I'm the daughter of the priest of this temple.'

'Soseki-san?' Watanuki asked. 'We met him.'

'Yes.' Mana smiled. 'I didn't know there were descendants of the Four Dragon Kings.'

'They didn't know that too,' Watanuki said. 'They learned about that just recently and came here all the way from the Kingdom of Wu.'

'Kingdom of Wu!' Mana said. 'That's far away!'

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'We hear this a lot.'

'But there is no dragon inside of you,' Mana observed.

'I come from another side of the family.' Watanuki smiled. 'I am their distant cousin because I am descended from the wizard Clow Reed like them.'

'Clow Reed was a powerful wizard,' Mana said. 'And I feel great power in you.'

'Well, I don't know about great, but I'm a seer,' Watanuki said. 'And Doumeki here is an exorcist. Evelyn-san is a wizard, and Ryuuou-san is just a nine headed bird.'

'Oh!' Mana said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'So are you from the South too, Watanuki-san?' Mana asked.

'Yes, Doumeki and me are from Fujian, and my cousins are from Wuxi in Jiangsu.' Watanuki smiled. 'Ryuuou-san is from Hubei, and Evelyn-san is English.'

'In the sky there are nine headed birds, and on the Earth there are Hubei people?' Mana smiled.

'Yes, Ryuuou-san said that this saying appeared because there are really many nine headed birds among Hubei people.' Watanuki smiled.

'Really?' Mana said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'South is a lovely land,' Mana said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'And Evelyn-san is English? That's amazing!' Mana said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'We met in Xi'an. He is traveling around China because he likes it very much.'

'Oh,' Mana said.

Suddenly the four dragons and the red phoenix turned into naked figures that started to fall.

'Sorry, Mana-chan, I must help my cousins,' Watanuki said.

'Maybe I can help too, as I'm a miko,' Mana said.

'All right,' Watanuki said.

The five figures were falling behind the trees. The nine headed bird, the golden phoenix and the white crane flew down following them. Watanuki, Doumeki and Mana went there too.

When Watanuki, Doumeki and Mana came there, they saw that the Ryuudou brothers and Matsuri were sitting on the grass naked. Eve, Ryuuou and Saiwa were standing near. Eve took off his cloak and put it on Matsuri's shoulders. He was wearing a black old-fashioned suit and a white shirt underneath the cloak.

'May I get clothes for you?' Saiwa asked.

'All right,' Tsuzuku said.

Saiwa waved his hand and suddenly the Ryuudou brothers and Matsuri were dressed much as they were dressed before.

'Thank you, Saiwa-san.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'But I've lost my fan. It was a lovely fan.'

'What kind of fan do you wish, Tsuzuku-kun?' Eve asked.

'A golden one with a powerful pine tree and iron ribs as before.' Tsuzuku smiled.

Eve raised his right hand with the ring and a blue wave of power accompanied by large dancing snowflakes washed over him, and then a golden folding fan with a powerful pine tree and iron ribs appeared in his hand. He offered the fan to Tsuzuku. Tsuzuku took it and fanned himself slowly. Matsuri smiled.

'Is that a tessen, Tsuzuku-sama?' Mana asked.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'It's a fine one,' Mana said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Nee, Hajime-niisan, Matsuri-chan is a phoenix to your dragon! Now you see you must marry her?' Tsuzuku smiled.

Hajime blushed.

'Yes.' Matsuri smiled.

'And I can be a phoenix to your dragon too, Tsuzuku-kun.' Eve smiled.

Tsuzuku smiled back.

'Was it you who called the rain, Amaru-kun?' Doumeki asked.

'Yes.' Amaru smiled. 'I thought that if I am a black dragon, my power must be water.'

'Indeed.' Doumeki said.

'Then Tsuzuku's power must be fire.' Matsuri smiled. 'How fitting.'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And then Hajime's power must be wind, and Owaru's power must be void. How does void manifest as a power?' Matsuri asked.

'I wonder,' Tsuzuku said.

'Do all the dragons lose their clothes when they transform?' Matsuri said.

'Yes,' Mana said.

'Oh, who's that?' Matsuri asked.

'Oh sorry, this is Tatsumiya Mana-chan, Soseki-san's daughter,' Watanuki said. 'Mana-chan, meet my cousins Ryuudou Hajime, Ryuudou Tsuzuku, Ryuudou Owaru, Ryuudou Amaru and Toba Matsuri-chan, Tsuzuku's lover Ravenscroft Evelyn-san, our friend Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san and Ran Saiwa-san, one of the Hassen.'

'I know Saiwa-san.' Mana smiled. 'Good evening, Saiwa-san.'

'Good evening, Mana-chan.' Saiwa smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'Are you friends?' Mana asked.

'Yes, we met today at Tsubame Ryokan.' Saiwa smiled.

'I see,' Mana said.

'So you are a dragon too, Mana-chan?' Matsuri asked.

'Yes, and my father too,' Mana answered. 'Everyone here is.'

'What kind of dragon are you, Mana-chan?' Matsuri asked.

'A golden one,' Mana answered. 'Father is a purple one.'

'Oh,' Matsuri said.

'I wonder why did we never transform before,' Tsuzuku said.

'Our kind usually transforms when we encounter something that would kill even a very strong person,' Mana explained.

'Oh, I see,' Tsuzuku said. 'There was a fire in the kura, and a beam fell on us.'

'That would do it.' Mana nodded.

'Then Amaru-kun called a rain and quenched the fire so don't worry,' Tsuzuku said. 'And we'll donate to your temple.'

'Thank you very much,' Mana said.

'Can our kind transform at will?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Yes, once you transform for the first time,' Mana answered.

'That's good to know.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Tsuzuku-sama is a courtier and Hajime-sama is an imperial guard, right?' Mana asked.

'Yes, but in the kingdom of Wu, and not in this kingdom of Wei.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I know, Watanuki-san told me,' Mana said.

'I see,' Tsuzuku said.

'But as you are a courtier, then maybe you need a bodyguard,' Mana asked.

'I am just a clerk in the board of ceremonies, but there are plenty of dangers around.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'But your father must give you his blessing.'

'Oh, he will.' Mana smiled.

They went to find Soseki. He was sweeping around the temple.

'Otou-san, i want to be Tsuzuku-sama's bodyguard, and he agreed,' Mana said.

'My blessings, mana-chan.' Soseki smiled.

'Yatta,' mana said.

Tsuzuku smiled.

'Take good care of her, Tsuzuku-san,' Soseki said.

'I will,' Tsuzuku promised.

I know kyuudo and exorcisms, so I'll guard you well, Tsuzuku-sama,' mana said.

'Thank you, mana-chan.' Tsuzuku said.

They returned to the inn and relaxed in the onsen.

'The onsen here is wonderful, as is the inn and the whole valley,' Tsuzuku said.

'You know, Ryuusenkyou also can mean 'Dragons' Fairyland',' Doumeki said.

'You are right, Shizuka-kun, senkyou can also mean fairyland,' Tsuzuku said.

Watanuki looked at the young courtier, broad-shouldered and slender in his white fundoshi, his hair red and his eyes amber.

'Tsuzuku-kun, are you sure that you aren't part fox,' Watanuki asked.

'Not at all.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I'll look in the family archives when we return,' Hajime said.

'Do it, aniki,' Tsuzuku said. 'Maybe another journey awaits us.'

'Maybe,' Hajime said.

'Teach me English, Eve-chan,' Tsuzuku asked suddenly.

'All right.' Eve smiled. 'Ohayo would be _good morning.' _

_Good morning__,' _Tsuzuku repeated.

'Konnichiwa would be _good afternoon,' _Eve said.

'_Good afternoon,' _Tsuzuku said.

'Konbanwa would be _good evening,' Eve_ said.

_Good evening,__' _Tsuzuku said.

'Oyasumi nasai would be _good night,' Eve_ said.

'Good night_,' _Tsuzuku said.

'Ogenki desu ka would be _how are you_,' Eve said.

'_How are you,' Tsuzuku_ said.

'Excellent,' Eve said. 'Genki desu would be _fine, thanks.'_

'_Fine,__ thanks,' Tsuzuku_ said.

'Arigatou would be _thank you,' _Eve said.

'_Thank you,' Tsuzuku_ said.

'Domo arigatou gozaimasu would be _thank you very much .' _Eve said.

_Thank __you very much,' _Tsuzuku said.

'Gomen nasai would be _i'm_ sorry_,_' Eve said.

_'I__ ''m sorry,' _Tsuzuku said.

'And sumimasen would bе _excuse me,' _Eve said.

'_Excuse_ _me__,' _Tsuzuku said.

'You learn very well,' Eve said.

'I stood on Ao's head.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'I had to memorize many chinese books to be able to do it.'

'Yes, of course.' Eve smiled.

'Sensei,' Tsuzuku said.

Eve smiled.

'Hajime, you must marry Matsuri-chan now,' Tsuzuku said.

'I will as soon as we get home,' Hajime said.

'That's good!' Tsuzuku said. 'I'll marry Eve-chan when you'll marry Matsuri-chan. You know that i can't marry before you.'

'Yes,' Hajime said.

'Ryuuou-san, Ryuuou is a shogi piece, is that a coincidence?' Tsuzuku asked.

'No.' Ryuuou smiled. 'My father loved shogi, and ryuuou, dragon king, is the strongest piece in shogi, a promoted rook.'

'I know.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'I like shogi.'

'Really? So do i!' ryuuou exclaimed.

'Let's play shogi someday,' Tsuzuku said.

'All right.' ryuuou smiled.

'What is your house like, Tsuzuku-san?' Saiwa asked.

'Oh, it has a lake with lotuses and large rocks, and a garden with rocks and pavilions south of it, and beautiful buildings north and east of the lake, right on its shores, and south-east of the lake is a small garden court with moon gates, bridges, walls and buildings, my humble residence,' Tsuzuku said.

'Sounds lovely,' Saiwa said.

'It is,' Tsuzuku said. 'I dream about my home, though faraway lands are lovely.'

'I look forward to seeing such a lovely place,' Saiwa said.

'You won't be disappointed,' Tsuzuku said.

Next morning they left the inn and the valley, mana with them. They walked by the underground passage, Eve lighting the way as before. They came to their inn in Xining, took their carriage and rode away.

On their way to Xi'an a large ayakashi enveloped the carriage. Watanuki gasped. But mana instantly covered Tsuzuku with her body, though he was a lot taller, and chanted, 'Om abira unkyan sharakutan!' there was a flash of white light, and the ayakashi disappeared.

'Thank you, mana-chan.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Tsuzuku-sama,' Mana said.

When they arrived to Xi'an, Eve asked to come to the great wild goose pagoda late in the evening. They went. Eve went to where the bell was. There were no people around this time. Eve wrote, 'Lucinda Ravenscroft', and gave the paper to the priest.

'Who is this Ravenscroft Lucinda-san, Eve-chan?' Tsuzuku asked.

'My mother, of course,' Eve said.

'I want to meet her,' Tsuzuku said.

'I'll bring her for our wedding,' Eve said.

'I look forward to that,' Tsuzuku said. 'I'll learn English well to be able to speak with her.'

That evening Lucinda Ravenscroft, who was sitting in an armchair near the fireplace and embroidering, heard a clear sound of a bell and had a feeling that her son Eve said to her, 'hello, mother, i miss you.' she was amazed and glad.

When the travelers came to the manor of clear stream, Li Bailong and Li Meilin welcomed them in a pavilion, watershield soup with shrimps on the table.

'Welcome back,' Meilin said.

'Thank you,' Tsuzuku said.

'And who are your friends?' Meilin asked.

'Evelyn Ravenscroft, my lover, ran Saiwa-san and Tatsumiya Mana-chan, a miko and my bodyguard,' Tsuzuku said. 'Eve-chan, Mana-chan, meet Li Bailong and his younger sister Li Meilin.'

'Ran Saiwa-san? Lan Caihe, one of the Hassen?' Meilin asked.

'Yes.' Saiwa smiled.

'Please play something,' Meilin asked.

'Of course.' Saiwa asked, put his flute to his lips and played a tender chinese melody.

'Wonderful!' Meilin said.

Saiwa smiled.

'Ano, why does a clerk need a bodyguard?' Meilin asked.

'Mana-chan volunteered to be my bodyguard,' Tsuzuku said. 'She is from the people that live in the valley our ancestors came from. She is the daughter of the priest in the temple there.'

'Oh,' Meilin said.

'And Evelyn-san is a foreigner?' Bailong asked.

'Yes, he is English.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'He's a wizard.'

'Really?' Meilin said. 'Please show some magic!'

'All right.' Eve smiled. He raised his hand, and a blue wave of power, accompanied by large dancing snowflakes, washed over him. Then bright butterflies danced in the air and then disappeared.

'Wow!' Meilin said.

Eve smiled.

'When did you meet Evelyn-san, Tsuzuku-san?' Meilin asked.

'In Xi'an when we left clear stream,' Tsuzuku said.

'That's quick,' Meilin said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I see you have a new fan, Tsuzuku-san,' Meilin said.

'My old one perished in a fire,' Tsuzuku said. 'Eve-chan gave me a new one.'

'It's beautiful,' Meilin said.

'Thank you,' Eve said.

'Eve-chan made it himself with his magic,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Meilin said.

'What is that valley like, Tsuzuku-san?' Bailong asked.

'A beautiful valley with a charming village with a nice ryokan with an onsen, and a nice temple,' Tsuzuku said. 'Our ancestor, ryuudou Subaru, left the valley to seek adventures.'

'I see,' Bailong said.

'Hajime-niisan is going to marry Matsuri-chan when we return, and then I'll marry Eve-chan, as i can't marry before Hajime-niisan,' Tsuzuku said.

'Congratulations!' Meilin said.

'Kimihiro-kun, how about you marry Shizuka-kun when i marry Eve-chan?' Tsuzuku asked.

'What!' Watanuki said.

'Oh, do you know that Kimihiro-kun is our cousin?' Tsuzuku said. 'His teacher, a very powerful witch, said that he was a descendant of the wizard Clow Reed like us.'

'Really?' Meilin said. 'That's great!'

'So now i can call him itoko-san,' Tsuzuku said.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'I'm very glad you сan.'

'Of course, itoko-san.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'We are going right to our manor now, so Kimihiro-kun will stay with us and be at my wedding and Tsuzuku's wedding,' Matsuri said.

'That's great,' Meilin said.

'And ryuuou-san, Saiwa-san and of course mana-chan will be staying with us too,' Matsuri said.

'Oh,' Meilin said.

'I look forward to seeing your house and the south, Tsuzuku-sama,' Mana said. 'Of course, i will guard you very well!'

'Of course, Mana-chan.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Mana-chan exorcised a large ayakashi that wrapped around our carriage with only a short chant,' Matsuri said.

'Really?' Meilin said.

Next morning they left clear stream, but they did not go south to Wuhan but went east and rode among green hilly plains.

They came to a large beautiful lake.

'This is the Chaohu lake,' Tsuzuku said. 'They say once there was a town here, but its inhabitants were wicked, so the heavens decided to drown it. The dragon king who was charged with that found only two virtuous people in that town, an old woman and her daughter, and he led them out, and the town was drowned by this lake.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They came to a large beautiful river, crossed it by a bridge and saw a large city surrounded by a powerful wall with towers.

'Oh, this is Jianye, our capital,' Tsuzuku said. 'Maybe we'll meet some acquaintances.'

They rode through the gate and along the streets with houses surrounded by walls with trees and roofs showing above the walls. Suddenly they saw Minoru in red wide closed robe and white loose trousers, a fan in his hand, with lady Hirugao in yellow open wide robes in many layers over a white kimono and a red hakama, and lady Asagao with Yuzuki, dressed like lady Hirugao, only lady Asagao in pink robes and Yuzuki in red ones.

'Stop!' Tsuzuku said and the carriage stopped. He opened the curtains.

'Tsuzuku-san, Hajime-san, Owaru-kun, Amaru-kun, Matsuri-san, Watanuki-san and Doumeki-san!' Minoru said.

'Minoru-san, Hirugao-san, Asagao-san and Yuzuki-san!' Tsuzuku said.

'And who are your friends?' Minoru asked.

'Evelyn Ravenscroft, my lover, Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san, a knight errant, ran Saiwa-san and Tatsumiya Mana-chan, a miko and my bodyguard,' Tsuzuku said. 'Eve-chan, Ryuuou-san, Saiwa-san, Mana-chan, meet Fujiwara no Minoru-san, his elder sister Fujiwara no Yuzuki-san, Minamoto no Hirugao-san, Minoru-san's fiancée, and Hirugao-san's elder sister, Minamoto no Asagao-san, Yuzuki-san's wife.'

'Ran Saiwa-san, Lan Caihe of the Hassen?' Minoru asked.

'Yes.' Saiwa smiled.

'Ara, Tsuzuku-san, why does a clerk need a bodyguard?' Yuzuki asked.

'Mana-chan volunteered to be my bodyguard,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Yuzuki said.

'And Evelyn-san is a foreigner?' lady Asagao asked.

'Yes, he's English.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'He's a wizard.'

'Oh,' lady Asagao said. 'I didn't know you had a lover, Tsuzuku-san.'

'I didn't until i met Eve-chan in Xi'an on my journey.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'That's quick,' lady Asagao said. 'But you always were quick, Tsuzuku-san.'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Soon Hajime-niisan will marry Matsuri-chan, and then i'll marry Eve-chan.'

'Ara, congratulations!' Yuzuki said.

'Evelyn-san is so handsome!' lady Asagao said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Evelyn-san is older than you, ne, Tsuzuku-san?' Yuzuki asked.

'Yes, I'm the younger one.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I thought so.' Yuzuki smiled.

'I see you have a new fan, Tsuzuku-san,' lady Asagao said.

'Yes. My old one perished in a fire,' Tsuzuku said. 'Eve-chan gave me this one then.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'It's beautiful,' lady Asagao said.

'Thank you,' Eve said.

'Eve-chan made it with his magic,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' lady Asagao said.

'Oh, about fans,' Tsuzuku said. 'Eve-chan told me about the language of the fan that is used in the west. It's very interesting. I'll teach that language to you.'

'A western language of the fan?' Minoru said. 'Interesting!'

'I'll also tell Nokoru-san about it,' Tsuzuku said. 'He'll be glad.'

'Yes.' Minoru smiled.

'Have you found what you were looking for?' Yuzuki asked.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'It's a lovely secluded valley with a charming village with a nice Ryokan with an onsen and a nice temple. Mana-chan is the daughter of the priest of that temple, Soseki-san. Our ancestor Ryuudou Subaru left the valley in search of adventures.'

'Oh,' Yuzuki said.

'What happened while we were away?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Oh, Hiroyasu-san married Yume-san and Harunobu-sama was promoted to fourth rank so he's a counselor now,' Yuzuki said.

'Oh,' Tsuzuku said.

'Did you enjoy your journey, Tsuzuku-san?' Yuzuki asked.

'Oh yes, we saw many interesting places such as prince of Teng's pavilion, Yuelu hill and academy, Yueyang tower, Wuhan, Xi'an, baling and Maijishan grottoes, Xining and Qinghai lake,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Yuzuki said.

'Will you come to Hajime-niisan's wedding and my wedding?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Of course!' Yuzuki said. 'We will come.'

'When auspicious dates will be chosen, we'll tell you,' Tsuzuku said.

'We'll look forward to that, Yuzuki said.

'Oh, do you know that Kimihiro-kun is our cousin?' Tsuzuku said.

'What?' Yuzuki asked.

'His teacher, a very powerful witch, said that he was a descendant of the wizard Clow Reed like us,' Tsuzuku said.

'What, Yuuko-san?' Yuzuki asked.

'Yes, Ichihara Yuuko-san,' Tsuzuku said. 'You know her?'

'She came several times to Watanuki-san's house for festivals,' Yuzuki said. 'She's charming.'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'So Watanuki-san is your cousin?' Yuzuki said. 'That's great!'

'Yes, now i can call him Itoko-san.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'It's very fortunate, Itoko-san.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.

'I want to show Jianye to Kimihiro-kun, Shizuka-kun, Mana-chan, Ryuuou-san and Saiwa-san,' Tsuzuku said. 'Will you help me, Minoru-san, Yuzuki-san, Asagao-san, Hirugao-san?'

'Of course,' Minoru said.

'I visited Jianye before.' Eve smiled.

'So did i.' Saiwa smiled.

'Only to Kimihiro- kun, Shizuka-kun, Ryuuou-san and Mana-chan then.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I look forward to seeing all the wonders of Jianye,' Mana said.

'Oh, Jianye is a beautiful city.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'I can imagine,' Mana said.

'Were there any poetry or shogi competitions while i was away?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Yes, several uta-awase and shogi tournaments,' Minoru said.

'It's a pity i missed them, but one can't have everything, ne?' Tsuzuku said.

'You write poetry?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'And you play shogi well,' Watanuki said.

'Fifth dan.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

The travelers climbed out of the carriage and joined Minoru, Yuzuki, lady Asagao and lady Hirugao. The company walked together, and the carriage followed them. Tsuzuku began to teach Minoru, Yuzuki, lady Asagao and lady Hirugao the western language of the fan.

They came to a large red ornate Chinese style palace.

'This is Chaotian palace where our emperor lives,' Tsuzuku said. 'See that little gate left of the main gate? The empress on her wedding day first comes to the imperial palace through this gate. The candidates who won the national examinations enter the imperial palace for the palace examinations through this gate too. I first entered the palace by this gate. And so did Hajime in his time.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They walked some more and came to a tall elegant Chinese style tower made entirely of porcelain.

'This is the porcelain tower of Jianye,' Tsuzuku said. 'It's really made entirely of porcelain. It's one of the wonders of the world.'

'Wow!' Watanuki said. 'Such a tall tower made of porcelain!'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'We the inhabitants of Wu are proud of it.'

'And you have the right to be,' Watanuki said.

They walked some more and saw a tall elegant tower by a large beautiful lake.

'This is the Xuanwu pagoda and Xuanwu Lake,' Tsuzuku said. 'They are named so because people believe that a black dragon living in this lake is Xuanwu, the guardian spirit of the north, Genbu in our language.'

'Wow, Genbu himself?' Watanuki said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

They walked some more and went beyond the city walls. They came to a beautiful high hill covered in lush green trees, with some buildings atop the hill.

'This is the purple mountain with the purple mountain observatory,' Tsuzuku said. 'The purple mountain observatory is very famous.'

'Why is it called Purple Mountain?' Watanuki asked. 'It's green.'

'It's purple at sunset, a very beautiful sight,' Tsuzuku explained.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

They returned to the city, walked some more and saw a beautiful large Chinese style temple.

'This is the temple of Confucius,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

As they walked around the city, they suddenly saw three young men, all of them tall and slender, one with golden hair, blue eyes and mischievous expression, in a white kimono and a gray striped hakama, with a fan in his hand, another with blue hair and golden eyes and calm face, in a white kimono and blue hakama, third with black hair and gray eyes and open expression, in a white kimono and red hakama.

'Nokoru-san, Suoh-san, Akira-san!' Tsuzuku exclaimed.

'Tsuzuku-san.' Nokoru smiled.

'So you are in the town,' Tsuzuku said.

'Yes, with our report as always.' Nokoru smiled.

'We talked about you just now,' Tsuzuku said.

'Really?' Nokoru smiled.

'Yes, i have something interesting to tell you,' Tsuzuku said.

'That's intriguing,' Nokoru said.

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Matsuri-san, you are beautiful as always in these lovely chinese clothes,' Nokoru said, bowing low to Matsuri.

'Thank you, Nokoru-san.' Matsuri smiled.

'Who are your friends?' Nokoru asked.

'Our cousin Watanuki Kimihiro-kun, his lover Doumeki Shizuka-kun, my lover Evelyn Ravenscroft, Kyuuhou Ryuuou-san, ran Saiwa-san and Tatsumiya mana-chan, a miko and my bodyguard,' Tsuzuku said. 'Kimihiro-kun, Shizuka-kun, Eve-chan, Ryuuou-san, Saiwa-san and Mana-chan, meet Imonoyama Nokoru-san, Takamura Suoh-san and Ijuin Akira-san, Amenosa.'

'Tsuzuku-san told us about you,' Watanuki said. 'You use military signals to signal to your assistants with your fan, right, Nokoru-san? And the assistants are Suoh-san and Akira-san.'

'Right.' Nokoru smiled.

'Eve-chan taught me the western language of the fan,' Tsuzuku said. 'Lovers and friends and just acquaintances use it in the west. I'll teach you, and you can use it instead of the military signals.'

'That's wonderful!' Nokoru said.

'And Evelyn-san is a foreigner?' Akira asked.

'Yes, he's English,' Tsuzuku said. 'He's a wizard.'

'Really?' Akira said. 'That's great!'

'I didn't know you had a lover, Tsuzuku-san,' Nokoru said.

'I didn't before i met Eve-chan in Xi'an on our journey.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'That's quick,' Nokoru said. 'But you always were quick.'

'Yes.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Soon Hajime-niisan will marry Matsuri-chan, and then i will marry Eve-chan, as i can't marry before Hajime-niisan.'

'Congratulations!' Nokoru said.

'Will you come to Hajime-niisan's wedding and my wedding?' Tsuzuku asked.

'Of course!' Nokoru said.

'We'll tell you when the auspicious dates will be chosen,' Tsuzuku said.

'I see you have a new fan, Tsuzuku-san,' Nokoru said.

'My old one perished in a fire,' Tsuzuku said. 'Eve-chan gave me a new one then.'

'It's beautiful,' Nokoru said.

'Thank you,' Eve said.

'Eve-chan made it with his magic,' Tsuzuku said.

'Evelyn-san is very skilled with magic,' Nokoru said. 'I know magic myself, as all Amenosa do.'

'I know.' Eve smiled. 'I travel a lot. I like traveling.'

'So do i,' Nokoru said. 'That's part of why i became an Amenosa. The other part being my detective ability, of course.'

'And Suoh-san and Akira-san?' Watanuki asked.

'They are my old school friends,' Nokoru answered. 'We are best friends. They are my kouhai, Suoh one year younger and Akira two years younger. Suoh is a ninja and my bodyguard. He volunteered to be my bodyguard.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said. 'Ninja, that's awesome. How does a ninja volunteer to be one's bodyguard?'

'He's from a family of ninja who volunteer to be bodyguards to a person they choose,' Nokoru said. 'Takamura family is a very old family.'

'Oh,' Watanuki said.

'By the way, about bodyguards,' Nokoru said. 'Why does a clerk need a bodyguard?'

'It's the same case as with you, Nokoru-san.' Tsuzuku smiled. 'Mana-chan volunteered to be my bodyguard.'

'Oh,' Nokoru said.

'She is from the same people my ancestor comes from,' Tsuzuku said. 'They live in a lovely secluded valley with a charming village with a nice Ryokan with an onsen and a nice temple. Our ancestor Ryuudou Subaru left the valley in search of adventures. Mana-chan is the daughter of the priest in the temple there, Soseki-san.'

'I see,' Nokoru said.

'I know exorcisms and kyuudo,' Mana said. 'Tsuzuku-sama was so kind to make me his bodyguard, and I'll guard him as well as i can.'

'I have no doubt of that,' Nokoru said, bowing low to mana. Mana blushed.

'Is ran Saiwa-san Lan Caihe of the Hassen?' Nokoru asked.

'Yes.' Saiwa smiled.

'I don't seem to recall Kimihiro-san among your relatives, Tsuzuku-san,' Nokoru said.

'We didn't know ourselves that we were relatives,' Tsuzuku said. 'When Hajime-niisan felt feeble, Minoru-san sent him to Kimihiro-kun and Shizuka-kun. Kimihiro-kun can see spirits and Shizuka-kun can exorcise spirits. They helped Hajime-niisan, and when we went to look for the valley our ancestors come from we took Kimihiro-kun and Shizuka-kun with us, and on our journey Kimihiro-kun's teacher, a very powerful witch, said that he was a descendant of the wizard Clow Reed like us, so we are distant cousins. So now i can call him Itoko-san.'

'And i am very glad about that,' Watanuki said.

'Of course, itoko-san.' Tsuzuku smiled.

'Who is Kimihiro-san's teacher?' Nokoru asked.

'Ichihara Yuuko-san,' Watanuki answered. 'Have you heard about her?'

'Of course.' Nokoru smiled. 'She is indeed a very powerful witch and a fabulous woman at that.'

'She is.' Watanuki smiled.

'When we heard that Kimihiro-kun was our cousin, we decided to take him to our manor with us,' Tsuzuku said.

'Oh,' Nokoru said.

'Do you know an Amenosa called Kudou Yuusuke-san?' Watanuki asked.

'Yes, he's our good friend,' Nokoru said.

'He's our good friend too,' Watanuki said. 'He came to our house just as a komusoh, and we made friends. Then the magistrate of Liuzhou, yang ban, came to our house as a guest and attempted to violate me. Then Yuusuke-san revealed his identity as an Amenosa and gave Doumeki permission to shoot yang ban, which he did. Later Yuusuke-san left but promised to use his magic to visit us on every festival, which he does.'

'Imagine that!' Nokoru said.

'Do you know a shirabyoshi dancer called Saitou Miyuki-san?' Watanuki asked.

'Of course, she dances very well, and she's lovely,' Nokoru said. 'She is well known in Jianye, and she dances for the court often.'

'Well, i know her too,' Watanuki said. 'Minoru-sama sent her to us too, because she too was feeling feeble without any reason. We exorcised a spirit that was pestering her and made friends with her. Yuusuke-san was there at that time, and they took a liking to each other it seems. They left our house together.'

'They're a good couple,' Nokoru said. 'And what a good match, a flutist and a dancer. She probably dances to his music now.'

'I wouldn't be surprised.' Watanuki smiled.

'They are traveling together all around the celestial empire now, and she helps him to fight as she can wield a sword very well.' Nokoru smiled.

'Probably.' Watanuki smiled.

'Kimihiro-kun is a great cook by the way, a real itamae,' Tsuzuku said.

'Really?' Nokoru said. 'Akira is too! His cooking is delicious.'

Akira blushed.

'Akira-san cooks too? That's wonderful!' Watanuki said. 'We can trade recipes.'

'If you wish,' Akira said.

'It's a deal.' Watanuki smiled.

'And Shizuka-kun is an archer,' Tsuzuku said.

'Suoh is too!' Nokoru said. 'He's very good at it, wins all the competitions and all that.'

'Doumeki too,' Watanuki said.

'Really?' Suoh asked. 'What rank?'

'Third dan,' Doumeki answered.

'So am i,' Suoh said.

'Let's have a contest some day,' Doumeki said.

'All right,' Suoh said.

'Nokoru-san, Yuusuke-san tells that he's just a komusoh, and what do you tell?' Watanuki asked.

'That we are just travelers,' Nokoru said. 'And that's mostly true.'

'Travelers, like me?' Eve smiled. 'I travel all around celestial empire. I like it very much.'

'Really?' Nokoru said.

'Yes.' Eve smiled. 'I like the south most.'

'So do i.' Nokoru smiled.


	12. Chapter 12

They left jianye and rode among green hills. Some time later they saw a town surrounded by a wall with towers.

'oh, this is our wuxi,' tsuzuku said.

'at last,' watanuki said.

They rode through the gate of the town and along the streets with houses surrounded by walls with trees and roofs showing above the walls. They came to a large chinese style gate with red lanterns.

'and this is our gate,' tsuzuku said.

They rode through the gate and entered an alley between white walls with powerful green vines and windows with ornate frames. The alley had many turns.

'this is the wen ya alley,' tsuzuku said. 'it existed before our house was built. It is between neighbors' houses.'

They came to another chinese style gate that was smaller than the first.

'this is the minor gatehouse,' tsuzuku said.

They rode through the second gate and entered a courtyard. It had two chinese style pavilions with open front and red pillars, beautiful chinese carved wooden tables and chairs, porcelain vases, sculptures and scrolls seen inside, a two tiered tower with red wooden walls with carving and trees and small potted palms in front of the buildings.

'these pavilions are loveable lotus nest, amaru-kun's residence, and thatched cottage of donglai, and the tower is millet cake studio, owaru-kun's residence,' tsuzuku said.

They climbed out of the carriage and passed between two buildings and found themselves in a beautiful chinese style garden with elegant trees and rocks. They walked some more and saw a little chinese style pavilion with red pillars, a white base and a pointed roof with lifted corners and red lining. Behind the pavilion there was a large expanse of water. They walked to the pavilion, entered it and looked out. They saw a large beautiful lake with lotuses, duckweed and large rocks, with beautiful chinese style buildings on two sides on the right, a white wall with a round gate in the far left corner and the garden on the left.

'this is the fry pavilion,' tsuzuku said. 'it is called that because one can look at the fish from here. And the pond is the lotus pond.'

They left the fry pavilion and walked some more. They came to a three step arched bridge across a tail of water from the lake.

'this is the viewing fish bridge,' tsuzuku said.

They walked more and saw a rockery and a small hexagonal pavilion like the fry pavilion on top of the rockery. They climbed the rockery and entered the pavilion. It had two couplets in chinese on the pillars.

'this is the refreshing morning pavilion,' tsuzuku said. 'the couplets say, 'a walk in the morning sun feasts one's eyes on a blooming spring; a climb to the mountain refreshes one's mind with limpid water.'

They descended from the rockery and walked some more. They came to the white wall with the round gate. There was another beautiful chinese style garden with elegant trees and rocks seen through the round gate.

'this is the moon gate to my humble residence,' tsuzuku said.

'a moon gate? It's a good name,' watanuki said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

They passed through the gate. Behind the gate there was a natural stone bridge across another tail of the lake, the beautiful chinese style garden and a building with windows in red frames and a wall with a moon gate.

'this is the ferrying beauty bridge and the bathing gull pond and the sweet grass garden, my garden,' tsuzuku said.

They walked across the small garden to the second moon gate. Through the moon gate was seen a small courtyard with a beautiful pine tree and with red wooden pavilions around it. They passed through the second moon gate.

'and this is my humble residence, the sweet grass house,' tsuzuku said. 'you will live with me here, eve-chan.'

'of course.' eve smiled.

'the name is a reference to ode to jianye that says, 'among its sweet grasses are climbing fig, orchid, common vetch, and aromatic sunchang. They are thick cordial, vigorous, luxuriant, diffusing, delicate fragrance, and sending forth sweet smell.' tsuzuku said.

'oh,' watanuki said.

'i will stay by your side also, tsuzuku-sama,' mana said.

'of course, mana-chan.' tsuzuku smiled.

Tsuzuku led them to a door on the right. They passed through the door and found themselves in a room with dark wooden carved chinese table with books and a green jade sculpture of lotuses, several dark wooden carved chinese chairs, several porcelain vases on the floor and scrolls on the walls.

'this is how my humble residence looks inside,' tsuzuku said.

'it's lovely.' eve smiled.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

Tsuzuku led them to a door at the far end of the room. They passed through the door and saw a room with dark wooden carved chinese chairs and a table with an inkwell, a brush, papers and books, porcelain vases on the floor and scrolls on the walls. Through the window one could see that the room was at the far end of the court, opposite the moon gate.

'this is my humble study,' tsuzuku said.

Tsuzuku led them to a door at the end of the room. They passed through the door and saw a room with dark wooden carved chinese chairs and tables, porcelain vases on the floor and scrolls on the walls and a dark wooden carved chinese bed with red silk curtains.

'and this is my lonely bed,' tsuzuku said.

Tsuzuku led them across the court to the first room. Then Tsuzuku led them to another door. They passed through it and came to an open gallery along the shore of the lake with a view to the lake, the garden with the pavilions and the buildings on the left. Then they came to a veranda somewhere halfway along the gallery. It had a window planted with bamboo, a beautiful rock resembling a young girl and scrolls with chinese characters.

'this is the sound of moon veranda,' tsuzuku said. 'it's used for moon gazing.'

They passed through the gallery then by several pavilions and came to a large beautiful pavilion with red pillars and windows.

'this is the longevity pavilion, hajime-niisan's residence. It is named for a verse by yuan ji, 'cultivation of one's mind brings about longevity which enables one to be aadmirable as the great nature.'

Then they came behind the longevity pavilion and saw a large pavilion with red pillars and red carved friezes under the roof and by the ground, with potted pines, statues of lions and shrubs before the front.

'this is the hall of erudition and elegance, matsuri-chan's residence,' tsuzuku said.

'by the name it suits tsuzuku-kun more than matsuri-chan,' watanuki said.

'yes but i like that little garden court best,' tsuzuku said.

'oh,' watanuki said.

Then they came to a small white pavilion with red windows.

'this is the memory of liking hall,' tsuzuku said. 'it's a chapel of kannon, built by our ancestor ryuudou hokuto in memory of his father.'

'a temple of kannon, like our temple,' watanuki said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

'well, that's our house,' matsuri said.

'and what a lovely house it is,' watanuki said.

'let's play kai-awase on the sound of moon veranda!' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' matsuri said.

'what's kai-awase?' watanuki asked.

'shell matching,' doumeki said. '360 pairs of halves of shells are painted on the inside with beautiful pictures, each pair of halves with the same picture, and part of the shell halves are laid face down and other shells are taken out one by one, and one has to find the shell half matching the one taken out among ones on the ground.'

'oh,' watanuki said.

They went to the sound of moon veranda and sat down on the floor.

'i'll bring my kai-awase set,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' matsuri said.

'eve-chan, i think you would look good in our clothes,' tsuzuku said.

'maybe,' eve said.

'go with me,' tsuzuku said. 'i'll choose new clothes for you.'

'all right,' eve said.

Tsuzuku went to his rooms. Eve followed him.

Some time later tsuzuku returned with an octagonal box painted brocade style. With him was eve in a white kimono and a blue hakama. He looked very good.

'you look very handsome, evelyn-san,' watanuki said.

'thank you.' eve smiled.

Tsuzuku and eve sat down. Tsuzuku put the box in the middle between them, opened it, took out some shells and put them face down in the middle between them, then took out another shell and put it near other shells. It had a sakura tree painted on the inside. Tsuzuku turned some shells over and then held out another shell with the same picture. Then he put both shells aside. Then matsuri put her hand into the box, took out a shell with a fan painted on it, put it down and searched among other shells. Then she held out another shell with the same picture and put both shells aside. Then everyone took turns at finding matches to the shells. When shells in the box ran out, it turned out that tsuzuku had the most pairs.

'congratulations, tsuzuku-kun,' matsuri said. 'you always were bright.'

'thank you.' tsuzuku smiled.

'now let's play hanafuda!' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' matsuri said.

Tsuzuku rose, went to his rooms and some time later returned with a beautiful hanafuda deck. He put it on the floor and placed eight cards in the middle between them, then put ten cards before each of them.

'does everyone know how to play this?' tsuzuku smiled.

Everyone nodded.

'you too, mana-chan?' tsuzuku asked.

'yes,' mana said. 'guests showed it to father and me.'

'i see,' tsuzuku said.

They started to play and played for a long time.

'let's walk in the garden,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' matsuri said.

They rose and went through tsuzuku's rooms and garden and walked through the garden, enjoying the views. They circled around the garden, admiring it. Then they came to the lake.

'let's swim in the lake,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' matsuri said.

They undressed and plunged into the lake and then swam in the lake, looking at the beautiful lotuses, rocks, garden and pavilions.

'how wonderful, tsuzuku-sama!' mana said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

Later they came out and dressed.

'eve-chan and mana-chan will stay with me, of course,' tsuzuku said. 'kimihiro-kun and shizuka-kun can stay in the little pavilion in the garden with some windows looking to the wen ya alley and some to the garden, so secluded! And ryuuou-san and saiwa-san can stay in the pavilions behind the hall of erudition and elegance.'

'all right,' watanuki said.

'come with me,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' watanuki said.

Tsuzuku led them through the garden to a small white square pavilion by the outer wall. Tsuzuku led them inside. Inside there were dark wooden carved chinese chairs and tables, porcelain vases on the floor and scrolls on the walls and one dark wooden carved chinese bed with silk yellow curtains. Watanuki sighed. Tsuzuku smiled, said, 'oyasumi nasai', and left.

Doumeki undressed and just fell asleep. Watanuki sighed and went to sleep too.

When watanuki woke up next morning he saw that doumeki was already up. He sighed, got up, dressed and went to walk in the garden. He walked and suddenly saw doumeki who was doing exercises of some kind. Watanuki stopped and watched him.

'what's this?' watanuki asked.

'kata for kyuudo,' doumeki answered.

'oh,' watanuki said.

Watanuki continued to watch doumeki. Some time later tsuzuku came.

'we're having breakfast together at the sound of moon veranda,' tsuzuku said. 'kimihiro-kun, shizuka-kun, please come.'

'of course,' watanuki said.

'those are kata for kyuudo, right?' tsuzuku asked.

'yes,' doumeki said.

'i'm used to them, having an archer in the house,' tsuzuku said. 'now it's three archers, apparently.'

'yes.' watanuki smiled.

'come with me,' tsuzuku said.

Watanuki and doumeki went with tsuzuku to the sound of moon veranda. Others were already there, sitting on the floor. Some time later came a young girl in a green chinese robe, carrying a small table with eleven bowls and eleven pairs of chopsticks. She put the table down and left. Watanuki saw that the bowls contained boiled rice mixed with finely sliced carrots, shiitake, snow peas, konnyaku, soy sauce and mirin, sprinkled with sake and topped with crumbled toasted nori.

'oh, this is mixed rice,' watanuki said. 'very good.'

'that's right.' tsuzuku smiled.

'this is really wonderful,' mana said.

'yes.' matsuri smiled.

'how did you sleep?' tsuzuku asked.

'as usual,' watanuki grumbled.

'very well.' matsuri smiled.

'and i have slept very well,' tsuzuku said.

'so did i,' mana said.

Matsuri smiled.

'and i slept very well in this wonderful house.' saiwa smiled.

'same for me.' ryuuou smiled.

When they finished eating, tsuzuku said:

'now let's play sugoroku!'

'what kind?' watanuki asked.

'sugoroku with pictures,' tsuzuku answered.

'all right,' watanuki said.

'and i'll look in the kura,' hajime said.

'go, aniki, maybe you'll discover my fox ancestry,' tsuzuku said.

Hajime rose, bowed and went away. Tsuzuku rose and went away too. Some time later tsuzuku returned with a sheet of paper, two dice and many coins. He put them on the floor, and watanuki saw that the sheet of paper had a spiral of pictures, views of various places with some phrases, places such as jianye with the porcelain pagoda, wuyi mountains, nanchang with the prince of teng's pavilion, changsha with the yuelu mountain, yueyang with the yueyang tower, wuhan with the yellow crane tower and xi'an with the little wild goose pagoda, the starting point being jianye and the destination xi'an.

'this is the travel across china,' tsuzuku said.

'this is almost the same as our travel,' watanuki observed.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

Each of them took a coin and placed it on the picture of jianye. Tsuzuku took the dice, shook them in his cupped hands and threw them. The dice showed six. Tsuzuku moved his coin six squares forward.

'Wuyi mountains,' he read. 'you met a fairy and stayed with her for some time'. I miss a turn. But at least for pleasant reasons. Wouldn't you wish to stay with a certain someone in wuyi mountains too, amaru-kun?'

'tsuzuku-niisan!' amaru said.

Tsuzuku smiled.

Others threw dice and made their moves in turn. Next turn, tsuzuku waited and didn't move his coin when others made their moves. On the following turn tsuzuku made his move first again, and others made their moves after him.

'nanchang. you slipped on the steps of the prince of teng's pavilion and had to stay in nanchang for some time to heal,' owaru read. 'damn!'

Tsuzuku, matsuri and saiwa smiled.

Everyone made their moves again.

'changsha. You got afraid of the dragon king of the dongting lake and fled back,' owaru read. 'what the hell! I am a dragon king myself!'

Tsuzuku, matsuri and saiwa smiled.

Suddenly in came a girl in a blue chinese robe and a plump middle-aged woman in a red chinese robe and with black hair in a knot with ornate hairpins.

'this is wang meihua, a matchmaker,' the girl said. 'she wants to see toba matsuri-sama.'

'i am toba matsuri,' matsuri said.

'matsuri-sama, ryuudou hajime-sama of the imperial guards asks for your hand in marriage,' wang said.

'i accept.' matsuri smiled.

'then what is the date of your birth?' wang asked.

'august fifteenth of the year of the sheep, younger brother of metal,' matsuri said.

'thank you, matsuri-sama,' wang said. 'i will tell this to hajime-sama.'

Wang bowed and went out.

'hajime-niisan is quick at last,' tsuzuku said. 'congratulations, matsuri-chan.'

'thank you, tsuzuku-kun.' matsuri smiled.

'you were born on the mid-autumn festival, matsuri-san?' eve asked.

'yes.' matsuri smiled. 'that's why i am named matsuri, festival.'

'and your name suits you.' eve smiled.

'thank you.' matsuri smiled.

'i was also born in the year of the sheep, younger brother of metal,' tsuzuku said.

'i was born in the year of the rooster, younger brother of earth,' eve said.

'i was born in the year of the rooster too, and so is doumeki,' watanuki said.

'really?' eve said.

'yes, in the year of the rooster, younger brother of water,' doumeki said.

'you were born in the same year? How romantic!' matsuri said.

'yes, we were, but doumeki on march third and me on april first,' watanuki said.

'april first, like your surname?' tsuzuku smiled.

'yes,' watanuki said.

'and shizuka-kun was born on the peach festival? How fitting,' tsuzuku observed.

'yes,' watanuki said.

'now let's continue our game,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' matsuri said.

Tsuzuku threw the dice and made his move. Everyone made their moves too.

'yueyang. You slipped on the steps of the yueyang tower and had to stay in yueyang for some time to heal,' tsuzuku read. 'what a misfortune. Well, it happens.'

matsuri and saiwa smiled. Everyone made their moves again.

'wuhan. You got afraid of a nine headed bird and fled back,' ryuuou read. 'what the hell, i am a nine headed bird myself!'

Tsuzuku, matsuri and saiwa smiled. Everyone made their moves again.

'daba mountains. You got afraid of a shennongja yeren and fled back,' owaru read. 'what the hell! It's just a yeren!'

Everyone made their moves again.

'i got to xi'an first!' tsuzuku announced.

'congratulations, tsuzuku-niisan,' owaru said.

'thank you, owaru-kun.' tsuzuku smiled.

At this point hajime came in.

'congratulations, hajime-niisan!' tsuzuku said.

'thank you, tsuzuku-kun,' hajime said.

'you are quick for once, hajime-niisan.' tsuzuku smiled.

Hajime blushed.

'now you need to have someone to check your compatibility with matsuri,' tsuzuku said.

'i sent for abe no masahiro-san,' hajime said.

'oh,' tsuzuku said.

'who's abe no masahiro-san?' watanuki asked.

'he's a clerk in the bureau of onmyo,' tsuzuku said. 'he's a very talented young onmyouji.'

'oh,' watanuki said.

'hajime-niisan, did you find anything about my fox ancestry?' tsuzuku asked.

'yes,' hajime said. 'our ancestor subaru married a beautiful girl named li honghua who turned out to be a fox. She was his wife all his life, she was the mother of his children and our ancestress. She was red-haired, that's why she was called honghua, red flower.'

'so our tsuzuku-kun takes after her.' matsuri smiled.

'apparently.' tsuzuku smiled.

At this point in came nokoru, suoh and akira with yuusuke and miyuki.

'konnichiwa,' nokoru said.

'konnichiwa,' akira said.

'konnichiwa,' yuusuke said.

'konnichiwa,' miyuki said.

'konnichiwa,' tsuzuku said.

'konnichiwa,' matsuri said.

'konnichiwa,' owaru said.

'konnichiwa,' watanuki said.

'long time no see, kimihiro-san,' yuusuke said.

'yuusuke-san!' watanuki said.

'please sit down,' tsuzuku said.

Nokoru, suoh, akira, yuusuke and miyuki sat down.

'who are your friends?' yuusuke asked.

'ravenscroft evelyn-san, tsuzuku-kun's lover, kyuuhou ryuuou-san, a knight errant, ran saiwa-san, a taoist, and tatsumiya mana-chan, a miko and tsuzuku-kun's bodyguard,' watanuki said.

'are you in need of a bodyguard, tsuzuku-san?' yuusuke asked with concern.

'mana-chan volunteered to be my bodyguard,' tsuzuku explained.

'oh,' yuusuke said.

'yes,' tsuzuku said.

'and ran saiwa-san is lan caihe of the hassen?' yuusuke asked.

'yes.' saiwa smiled.

'and evelyn-san is a foreigner?' yuusuke asked.

'yes, he's english,' tsuzuku said. 'he's a wizard.'

'i feel that evelyn-san has great power,' yuusuke said.

'how are you, yuusuke-san?' watanuki asked.

'great,' yuusuke said. 'i made miyuki-chan my assistant. She helps me greatly with her sword and her grace.'

'just as i said.' nokoru smiled.

'so it's miyuki-chan already?' tsuzuku asked.

'yes.' yuusuke smiled.

'when have you met?' watanuki asked.

'just yesterday,' yuusuke said. 'i came to the capital for my report as always and met nokoru-san and his friends in jianye. So we decided to visit you together.'

'oh,' watanuki said.

'i heard that you are a cousin of hajime-san, tsuzuku-san, owaru-kun, amaru-kun and matsuri-san through the line of clow reed, kimihiro-san?' yuusuke asked.

'yes.' watanuki smiled.

'that's great,' yuusuke said.

'yes.' watanuki smiled.

'of course, itoko-san,' tsuzuku said.

'no wonder that you are so powerful, kimihiro-san, if you are a descendant of clow reed,' yuusuke said.

Watanuki blushed.

'i also heard that hajime-san and matsuri-san are going to be married, and evelyn-san and tsuzuku-san also,' yuusuke said.

'yes,' tsuzuku said. 'hajime-niisan already asked for matsuri-chan's hand, and she accepted. Hajime-niisan sent for abe no masahiro-san. And when hajime-niisan will marry matsuri-chan, i will marry eve-chan.'

'that's wonderful,' yuusuke said.

'yes.' matsuri smiled.

'when have you met evelyn-san, tsuzuku-san?' yuusuke asked.

'in xi'an on our journey,' tsuzuku said.

'that's quick but you always were quick, tsuzuku-san,' yuusuke said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

'i see you have a new fan, tsuzuku-san,' yuusuke said.

'my old one perished in a fire,' tsuzuku explained. 'eve-chan gave me a new one.'

'it's beautiful,' yuusuke said.

'thank you,' eve said.

'eve-chan made it with his magic,' tsuzuku explained.

'i feel that evelyn-san is very powerful,' yuusuke said.

'where have you been all this time, yuusuke-san?' watanuki asked.

'fujian and guangdong,' yuusuke answered. 'i played my flute, and miyuki-chan danced to my music. So we traveled around, and people paid us for our art. We saw many wonderful places and punished a lot of corrupted magistrates.'

'and we were in yunnan, just traveling,' nokoru said. 'we saw many wonderful places and punished corrupted magistrates too.'

'and you got here from yunnan by magic?' watanuki asked.

'of course, for we are amenosa,' nokoru said.

'and i got here from guangdong by magic too,' yuusuke said.

'have you seen something really unusual?' watanuki asked.

'oh, in yunnan near kunming there's a lake called fuxianghu and on its bottom there's an ancient sunken town,' nokoru said. 'some say that it's a town called yuyu that was on the shores of the lake and sunk some centuries ago, and others say that it's a town of very old times. Whatever it is, i saw it, i called a magic mirror and saw ruins of a beautiful town, padodas, walls, roads and all.'

'amazing,' watanuki said.

'and we saw the sea goddess, tian-hou, walking on the sea waves in fujian,' yuusuke said. 'miyuki-chan and me came to the sea shore and saw her. She was a beautiful girl in a turquoise chinese robe.'

'amazing,' watanuki said.

'are you and miyuki-san lovers, yuusuke-san?' tsuzuku asked.

'yes.' yuusuke smiled.

'will you marry soon?' tsuzuku asked.

'probably.' yuusuke smiled.

'nokoru-san, let's play tosenkyo,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' nokoru said.

Tsuzuku rose, went out and some time later returned with a tall wooden stand, a paper shape like a ginkgo leaf on a base and five white folding fans. He put them on the floor and put the ginkgo leaf shape on the wooden stand and the fans by the stand.

'akira-san, be our judge, as you can count very well,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' akira said.

Tsuzuku and nokoru sat across from each other, the stand with the ginkgo leaf shape just between them. Akira sat across from the stand to see it clearly.

'tsuzuku-san, you are older, so throw first,' akira said.

Tsuzuku took one fan, put its pivot on the index finger and held it with the thumb and then leaned forward and pushed the fan with the thumb. The fan flew forward and pushed the ginkgo leaf shape from the wooden stand. The target landed on the ribs of the fan, lying on them.

'well done, tsuzuku-san!' akira smiled. 'this is Asagao, seven points!'

'asagao means morning glory, after a chapter in genji monogatari,' doumeki explained. 'the target is like a morning glory flower, and the ribs of the fan are like props. By the way, the target is called chou, butterfly, and the wooden stand is called makura, pillow.'

Akira put the target back on the wooden stand and returned the fan to tsuzuku.

Then nokoru took one fan as tsuzuku did and threw it as tsuzuku did. The fan flew and pushed the target from the wooden stand and landed on the target, the target lying under the ribs of the fan.

'well done, imonoyama-senpai!' akira said. 'this is suzumushi, seven points!'

'suzumushi means cricket,' doumeki said. 'the target is like a cricket, and the ribs of the fan are like a cage or a bush.'

Akira put the target back on the wooden stand and returned the fan to nokoru.

Then tsuzuku took one fan and threw it. The fan flew and pushed the target from the wooden stand and landed on the target, the target lying under the ribs of the fan.

'well done, tsuzuku-san!' akira said. 'this is suzumushi, seven points.'

Akira put the target back on the wooden stand and returned the fan to tsuzuku.

Nokoru took one fan and threw it. The fan flew and pushed the target from the wooden stand. The target landed on the ribs of the fan, lying on them.

'well done, imonoyama-senpai!' akira said. 'this is asagao, seven points.'

Akira put the target back on the wooden stand and returned the fan to nokoru.

Tsuzuku took one fan and threw it. The fan flew and pushed the target from the wooden stand and landed leaning against the wooden stand, the target landing behind the fan.

'well done, tsuzuku-san!' akira said. 'this is usugumo, eight points.'

'usugumo means cloud,' doumeki said. 'the fan is like a cloud and the target is like the moon.'

Akira put the target back on the wooden stand and returned the fan to tsuzuku.

Nokoru took one fan and threw it. The fan pushed the target from the wooden stand, the target standing alone as a result.

'well done, imonoyama-senpai!' akira said. 'this is sawarabi, ten points.'

'sawarabi means a young sprout of a bracken,' doumeki said.

Akira put the target back on the wooden stand and returned the fan to nokoru.

Tsuzuku took one fan and threw it. The fan flew and pushed the target from the wooden stand and landed on the wooden stand, lying on it.

'well done, tsuzuku-san!' akira said. 'this is miotsukushi, eleven points.'

'miotsukushi means a ship guiding stake,' doumeki said. 'it lets the seafarers know the depth of the sea and the route.'

Akira put the target back on the wooden stand and returned the fan to tsuzuku.

Nokoru took one fan and threw it. The fan flew and pushed the target from the wooden stand and landed leaning against the wooden stand, the target hanging from the wooden stand.

'well done, imonoyama-senpai!' akira said. 'this is utsusemi, eighteen points.'

'utsusemi means a cast off shell of a cicada,' doumeki said.

Akira put the target back on the wooden stand and returned the fan to nokoru.

Tsuzuku took one fan and threw it. The fan flew and pushed the target from the wooden stand, the target landed on the fan, standing on it.

'well done, tsuzuku-san!' akira said. 'this is ukifune, thirty points.'

'ukifune means a ship,' doumeki said. 'the fan is like a ship and the target is like a sail.'

Akira put the target back on the wooden stand and returned the fan to tsuzuku.

Nokoru took one fan and threw it. The fan flew and pushed the target from the wooden stand, landing propped on the target and the wooden stand, not touching the floor.

'well done, imonoyama-senpai!' akira said. 'this is yumeno ukihashi, fifty points.'

'yumeno ukihashi means dream bridge,' doumeki said.

'well, tsuzuku-san, you have sixty-eight points,' akira said. 'imonoyama-senpai, you have ninety-two points, so you win.'

'yatta!' nokoru said.

'nokoru-san, i could teach you tessenjutsu,' tsuzuku said. 'you are so agile!'

'i would be glad.' nokoru bowed.

'imonoyama-senpai is only so agile when there are ladies around,' akira said. 'when there are no ladies around, he's not agile at all.'

'akira, how is utako-san?' nokoru asked.

Akira blushed deeply.

'who is utako-san?' watanuki asked.

'ohkawa utako-san is akira's lady-love,' nokoru said. 'she's a charming young lady.'

'oh,' watanuki said.

'and suoh, how is nagisa-jo?' nokoru asked.

Suoh blushed deeply.

'who is nagisa-jo?' watanuki asked.

'azuya nagisa-jo is suoh's lady-love,' nokoru said. 'she's a charming young lady who plays flute and dances very well.'

'oh,' watanuki said.

'and do you have someone yourself, nokoru-san?' tsuzuku asked.

'no,' nokoru said. 'i have not met anyone who i would fall in love with.'

'tsuzuku-kun always told about the same before he met evelyn-san,' matsuri said. 'i hope you will find your love too, nokoru-san.'

'so do i,' nokoru said.

'ladies like imonoyama-senpai,' akira said.

'and i like ladies,' nokoru said. 'all ladies are charming, matsuri-san and mana-chan also.'

'be careful, nokoru-san, matsuri-chan is betrothed to another man and mana-chan is a miko who knows magic and kyuudo,' tsuzuku said.

'i don't pretend to anything,' nokoru said. 'i just admire all ladies.'

At this point in came a stout black-haired middle-aged man in a white wide closed robe, white trousers ending below the knee, a black cylindrical hat and straw sandals and a tall slender young man with golden brown eyes and dark brown hair in a ponytail, in a red wide closed robe with a light green robe showing under it, light purple loose trousers and black shoes, on his shoulder a white creature looking like a fox with rabbit ears, red eyes, red spikes on its neck and a red mark like a flower on its forehead.

'abe no masahiro-sama has come,' the middle-aged man said.

'thank you, saburo,' hajime said.

Saburo went away.

'are you in need of my art?' masahiro asked with concern.

'yes,' tsuzuku said. 'hajime-niisan asked for matsuri-chan's hand in marriage, and matsuri-chan agreed, so you have to check their compatibility.'

'oh, congratulations!' masahiro said. 'i would be glad.'

'who is that on your shoulder, masahiro-san?' watanuki asked.

'you can see him?' masahiro asked.

'yes, i'm a seer,' watanuki said.

'i can feel that you are very powerful,' masahiro said.

Watanuki blushed.

'this is my shikigami, mokkun,' masahiro said.

'don't call me mokkun!' mokkun said.

'mokkun is really touda, a fire god, and his name is guren, red lotus, but i call him mokkun,' masahiro said. 'i managed to summon him. i have another shikigami, he's a carriage tsukumogami called kurumanosuke. I just met him once.'

'a carriage tsukumogami, you mean an old carriage that has come to life?' watanuki asked.

'yes,' masahiro said. 'once i walked along the streets with mokkun, looking for spirits that i could exorcise, when we saw a man lying on the ground and a carriage driving away. We followed the carriage, it drove away very fast, but then it drove into a tree, and i put a binding spell on it. Mokkun asked it what happened and then asked me strongly to exorcise it. I asked what it said, and mokkun said that it saw a drunk and tried to help him, but he fainted, and the carriage fled. I was glad that the carriage was good, released it and told it not to roam the streets in broad daylight. I called it kurumanosuke. Kurumanosuke helped me many times since then, drove me where i needed.'

'amazing!' watanuki said.

'masahiro-san, meet our cousin watanuki kimihiro-kun, his lover doumeki shizuka-kun, my lover evelyn ravenscroft, kyuuhou ryuuou-san, a knight errant, ran saiwa-san, a taoist, and tatsumiya mana-chan, a miko and my bodyguard,' tsuzuku said. 'and this is abe no masahiro-san.'

'are you in need of a bodyguard, tsuzuku-san?' masahiro asked with concern.

'mana-chan volunteered to be my bodyguard,' tsuzuku said.

'oh,' masahiro said.

'yes,' tsuzuku said.

'and ran saiwa-san is lan caihe of the hassen?' masahiro asked.

'yes.' saiwa smiled.

'and evelyn-san is a foreigner?' masahiro asked.

'yes, he's english,' tsuzuku said. 'he's a wizard.'

'i feel that evelyn-san is very powerful,' masahiro said.

'he is,' tsuzuku said.

'when were hajime-san and matsuri-san born?' masahiro asked.

'i was born on may fifth of the year of the rabbit, younger brother of fire, and matsuri was born on august fifteenth of the year of the sheep, younger brother of metal,' hajime answered.

Masahiro thought a bit and said:

'hajime-san and matsuri-san are compatible.'

'wonderful!' tsuzuku said. 'now hajime-niisan can proceed with the betrothal gifts, the betrothal letter, the gift letter, the wedding gifts, choosing of the auspicious date, the wedding and the wedding letter.'

Hajime blushed.

'i could choose the auspicious date,' masahiro said.

'of course,' tsuzuku said. 'and also eve-chan and me are going to get married soon too. Will you check our compatibility and choose the auspicious date for our wedding too?'

'of course!' masahiro said. 'congratulations!'

'masahiro-san, please stay,' tsuzuku said. 'we are going to play uta garuta. One of the poets was your ancestor.'

'abe no nakamaro, yes.' masahiro smiled. 'his poem at least i know.'

'i'm sure you know more,' tsuzuku said.

'maybe, but surely tsuzuku-san who stood on ao's head and ran saiwa-san of the hassen know much more,' masahiro said.

'and shizuka-kun,' tsuzuku said. 'he knows a lot.'

'really?' masahiro said.

'and me,' mokkun said.

'you?' masahiro asked.

'yes, because i'm very old and very special,' mokkun said.

'oh, of course,' masahiro said.w

'and me,' nokoru said. 'i know a lot too.'

'oh,' masahiro said.

At this point there was a bright flash of white light and suddenly appeared a tall shapely woman with narrow blue eyes and light purple hair in a large hairdo with a long ponytail reaching her feet, a small crown with precious stones and long spikes around her face and long pendants hanging from the lower part of the hairdo, in a long black dress with a low cut with a jagged white collar, sleeves widening and jagged at the ends, a short upper skirt jagged at the hem and a long narrow lower skirt also jagged at the hem and a white belt with a clasp of a dark precious stone surrounded by light ones.

'evelyn ravenscroft!' the woman said. 'so you are going to marry some chinaman! I saw you in a magic mirror.'

'daphne, i told you many times that i wasn't in love with you,' eve said. 'but no, you continue to stalk me. And he's not chinese, he's yamato. There are many peoples in the celestial empire.'

'you won't mess with daphne mezereon, evelyn ravenscroft!' daphne said and began to raise her hand. Masahiro and mana whipped ofuda from the front of their clothes, saiwa, nokoru and yuusuke raised their hands, hajime, owaru, amaru, ryuuou suoh, akira, miyuki and doumeki jumped to their feet. But suddenly tsuzuku turned into a red dragon.

'what, he is a wizard too?' daphne said.

'no, just a humble chinese dragon,' tsuzuku said and breathed fire. Daphne froze.

'don't stalk eve-chan any more,' tsuzuku said.

Daphne disappeared in a flash of bright white light.

'eve-chan, who was she?' tsuzuku asked.

'she's just an annoying woman from a noble family who happens to be a witch,' eve said.

'well, i'm not any worse than her!' tsuzuku said. 'i'm a courtier of sixth rank, and i'm a dragon.'

'of course.' eve smiled.

Tsuzuku turned back into his human form, left naked as always. Eve raised his hand, and a blue wave of power accompanied by large dancing snowflakes washed over them, and in a moment tsuzuku was dressed as before.

'daphne or mezereon is a beautiful but very poisonous shrub that grows in the west,' doumeki said. 'it doesn't grow here.'

'yes,' eve said. 'you know a lot, doumeki-san.'

'so you are a dragon, tsuzuku-san?' masahiro asked.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

'and your brothers?' masahiro asked.

'also,' tsuzuku said.

'so you are really dragon brothers!' masahiro said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

'and matsuri-san?' masahiro asked.

'she's a phoenix for some reason,' tsuzuku said.

'and kimihiro-san?' masahiro asked.

'he's our distant cousin through the line of clow reed,' tsuzuku said.

'oh,' masahiro said.

'hajime-niisan is a blue dragon, owaru-kun is a white dragon and amaru-kun is a black dragon,' tsuzuku said.

'just like the four dragon kings,' masahiro said.

'we are descended from them,' tsuzuku said. 'kimihiro-kun said that we were not fully human, and hajime-niisan looked in the family archives and discovered that our family is descended from the four dragon kings and comes from a valley near xining, so we went there and there we transformed for the first time.'

'oh,' masahiro said.

'only we are left naked each time when we transform back,' tsuzuku said.

'that's uncomfortable!' masahiro said.

'yes, but we have a lot of clothes, and i have eve-chan,' tsuzuku said.

'yes, of course,' masahiro said.

'so we are fine,' tsuzuku said.

'i am glad for you,' masahiro said.

'thank you,' tsuzuku said.

'i won't tell anyone if you don't want that,' masahiro said.

'please keep that a secret,' tsuzuku said.

'i will,' masahiro said.

'all right, masahiro-san,' tsuzuku said. 'i know that you keep your word.'

'i also won't tell anyone,' yuusuke said.

'and me,' miyuki said.

'and me,' nokoru said.

'and me,' suoh said.

'and me,' akira said.

'thank you,' tsuzuku said.

'amenosa can keep secrets,' nokoru said.

'of course,' tsuzuku said.

'how is that valley, tsuzuku-san?' masahiro asked.

'lovely, with a lovely village with a nice ryokan with an onsen and a nice temple,' tsuzuku said. 'mana-chan is the daughter of the priest of that temple. The village is called ryuusenkyou.'

'dragon springs village?' masahiro asked.

'yes,' tsuzuku said.

'masahiro-san, you didn't see spirits that troubled hirugao-san, minoru-san, miyuki-san and hajime-san?' watanuki asked.

'i can't see all of the spirits,' masahiro said. 'once a spirit of a guard came into my own body through the awkwardness of fujiwara no toshitsugu-san, a clerk in the bureau of onmyou, and i didn't see the spirit, though fujiwara no akiko, my love, saw him. She is more powerful than me. And that spirit would fight with me for my body, but i convinced him to go to heaven where his wife and child waited for him.'

'oh,' watanuki said.

'toshitsugu-san is zealous, but he can't see spirits half of the time,' nokoru said. 'masahiro-san is much more powerful.'

'nokoru-san,' masahiro said.

'what?' nokoru said. 'it's true.'

'i met akiko-san when i was an errand boy just thirteen years old and was just introduced at court after my genpuku ceremony,' masahiro said. 'i walked about the palace grounds with mokkun and saw akiko-san on a terrace, and she saw mokkun and asked who it was. I answered and so we met. She is lovely, with long brown hair and large brown eyes and very kind.'

'oh,' watanuki said.

Tsuzuku rose and went out and some time later returned with a lot of cards. He put them on the floor and sat down. The cards had writing on them and some had pictures too, ones without pictures had two first lines of a tanka and others the last three lines and an illustration, those tanka being from the famous collection hyakunin isshu, hundred verses of hundred poets. One had to recall the last three lines to the first two and find the right card. The one who had the most cards in the end was the winner.

'akira-san, be the caller,' tsuzuku said.

'of course,' akira said and gathered all the cards with the first two lines. Then he took one and read:

'the stormy winds of yesterday

The maple branches shook...'

Tsuzuku quickly took one card and read:

'and see! A mass of crimson leaves

Has lodged within that nook

And choked the mountain brook.'

By harumichi no tsuraki.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a mountain stream with a maple tree over it and maple leaves in the water.

Akira took another card and read:

'the fishing-boats are tossed about

When stormy winds blow strong...'

Tsuzuku quickly took a card and read:

'with rudder lost, how can they reach

The port for which they long?

So runs the old love-song.'

By priest neyoshitada.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a boat tossing on rough sea with rudder floating away.

Akira took a card and read:

'my constancy to her i love

I never will forsake...'

Nokoru quickly took one card and read:

'as surely as the palace guards

Each night their watch-fire make

And guard it till daybreak.'

By ohnakatomi no yoshinobu ason.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a courtier sitting on a terrace with a pine tree beside it and a watchman tending his fire in front of a fence before the terrace.

'palace guards are constant, ne, hajime-niisan?' tsuzuku said.

Hajime blushed.

Akira took a card and read:

'death had no terrors, life no joys,

Before i met with thee..'

Mokkun leapt from masahiro's shoulder, quickly took one card and read:

'but now i fear, however long

My life may chance to be,

'twill be too short for me!'

By fujiwara no yoshitaka.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a courtier standing on a terrace and a lady sitting beside him in a room with a curtain seen through open shoji.

'amazing!' watanuki said.

'i said that i was very old and very special,' mokkun said.

'i sense real feeling here,' nokoru said. 'who do you like so much, mokkun?'

'masahiro,' mokkun said.

'what!' masahiro said.

Mokkun laughed. Masahiro huffed. But nokoru smiled knowingly.

Akira took a card and read:

'the double cherry trees, which grew

At nara in past days...'

Doumeki quickly took one card and showed it. The picture on it was of a lady sitting in a room with painted fusuma and a terrace. Tsuzuku read:

'now beautify this palace, and

Their blossoms, all ablaze,

Perfume the royal ways.'

By the lady ise.'

Akira took a card and read:

'while gazing up into the sky,

My thoughts have wandered far.'

Masahiro quickly took one card and read:

'methinks i see the rising moon

Above mount mikasa

At far-off kasuga.'

By abe no nakamaro.'

This is the poem of my ancestor. I've read it to akiko-san. My ancestor was sent with two others to foreign lands to discover the secret of the calendar, he was sixteen years old then, and on the night before sailing for home his friends gave him a farewell banquet. It was a beautiful moonlit night, and after dinner he composed this verse. I am sixteen now, but i could never compose such a poem, i even don't remember many poems.'

'but you can tell fortunes and exorcise spirits, masahiro-san,' tsuzuku said.

'thank you, tsuzuku-san,' masahiro said.

Tsuzuku showed the card, the picture on it was of a man standing

Akira took a card a card and read:

'too long tonight you've lingered here,

And though you imitate...'

Saiwa quickly took one card and read:

'the crowing of a cock, 'twill not

Unlock the tollbar gate;

Till daylight must you wait.'

By sei shonagon.'

I knew her. She was charming.'

'sei shonagon, the author of makura no soshi?' watanuki asked.

'yes.' saiwa smiled.

Akira took a card and read:

'oh! Fishers in your little boats,

Quick! Tell my men, i pray...'

Suoh quickly took one card and read:

'they'll find me at yasoshima,

I'm being rowed away

Far off across the bay.'

By the privy councillor takamura.'

This is the poem of my ancestor. He was a well-known scholar and rose from poverty to riches on being appointed a custom-house officer. His enemies reported him to the emperor as an extortioner and a thief, and he was deported to yasoshima, a small group of islands off the coast; he is said to have composed this song and sung it to the fishing-boats as he was carried off. He was afterwards pardoned and reinstated.'

'so he was your ancestor, suoh-san,' tsuzuku said.

'yes,' suoh said.

'i thought of that, because his surname is also takamura,' tsuzuku said.

'and rightly so,' tsuzuku said.

'suoh's family is famous, the famous ninja clan takamura,' nokoru said.

'yes,' suoh said. 'many famous people came from our family.'

'oh,' tsuzuku said.

Akira took a card and read:

'the storms which round mount mimuro

Are wont to howl and scream...'

Tsuzuku quickly took one card and read:

'have thickly scattered maple leaves

Upon tatsuta's stream;

Like red brocade they seem.'

By the priest noin.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a buddhist priest standing on the bank of a river in the mountains with maple leaves scattered all around.

Akira took a card a card and read:

'this autumn night the wind blows shrill,

And would that i could catch...'

Tsuzuku quickly took one card and read:

'its message, as it whistles through

The rushes in the thatch

And leaves of my rice-patch.'

By dainagon tsunenobu.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a thatched house with a terrace and a man sitting on it and some fields and some mountains in distance.

Akira took a card and read:

'the cherry trees are blossoming

On takasago's height...'

Ryuuou quickly took one card and read:

'oh may no mountain mist arise,

No clouds so soft and white,

To hide them from our sight.'

By gon chuunagon masafusa.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a courtier and his attendant on a mountain road, admiring cherry trees on the mountains, clouds already beginning to hover over the cherry trees.

Akira took a card and read:

'when rowing on the open sea,

The waves, all capped with white...'

Mana quickly took one card and read:

'roll onward, like the fleecy clouds

With their restless might;

Truly a wondrous sight!'

By the late regent and prime minister, the lay priest of the houshou temple.'

She showed the card, the picture on it was of some people rowing in a boat among the waves, a shore or an island in sight.

Akira took a card and read:

'the rock divides the stream in two,

And both with might and main...'

Tsuzuku quickly took one card and read:

'go tumbling down the waterfall;

But well i know the twain

Will soon unite again.'

'by the retired emperor sutoku.'

He showed the card; the picture on it was of a waterfall in the mountains and a man standing and looking at it.

Akira took a card and read:

'between awaji and the shore

Birds scream in their flight...'

Tsuzuku quickly took a card and read:

'full oft they've made the suma guard

Toss through a sleepless night,

Until the morning light.'

By minamoto no kanemasa.'

He showed the card; the picture on it was of a man standing on the sea shore, birds flying in the sky and a house with a fence and a pine near it.

Akira took a card and read:

'see how the wind of autumn drives

The clouds to left and right...'

Yuusuke quickly took one card and read:

'while in between the moon peeps out,

Dispersing with her light

The darkness of the night.'

By the shinto official akisuke, of the left side of the capital.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a man standing near a house with bushes near it, looking at the moon peeping between the clouds.

Akira took a card and read:

'the cuckoo's echo dies away,

And lo! The branch is bare...'

Miyuki quickly took one card and read:

'i only see the morning moon,

Whose light is fading there

Before the daylight's glare.'

By the minister-of-the-left of the tokudai temple.'

She showed the card, the picture on it was of a man standing on a terrace and looking at a fading moon between the clouds over the hills.

Akira took a card and read:

'the rain, which fell from passing showers,

Like drops of dew, still lies...'

Tsuzuku quickly took a card and read:

'upon the fir-tree needles, and

The mists of evening rise

Up to the autumn skies.'

By the priest jakuren.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a buddhist priest standing on a terrace and looking at a shower.

Akira took a card and read:

'i'm sleeping all alone, and hear

The crickets round my head...'

Tsuzuku quickly took a card and read:

'so cold and frosty is the night,

That i around my bed

My koromo has spread.'

By the regent and former prime minister go-kyougoku.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a man sitting in a house with open shoji and looking at a snow-covered garden.

'you are amazing, tsuzuku-san, you remember so many poems,' miyuki said.

'i stood on ao's head,' tsuzuku said.

'of course,' miyuki said.

Akira took a card and read:

'i love to watch the fishing-boats

Returning to the bay...'

Eve quickly took one card and read:

'the crew, all straining at the oars,

And coiling ropes away;

For busy folk are they.'

By the minister of the right district of kamakura.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of some three people on a sea shore under a pine tree, one standing and two sitting looking at some people in a boat.

'you know yamato very well, eve-san, and hyakunin isshu too!' miyuki said.

'i love the celestial empire, and now i have found my love here and will stay here for life,' eve said.

Tsuzuku smiled.

'and you are fortunate to find as learned and beautiful person as tsuzuku-san is,' miyuki said.

'of course,' eve said.

Tsuzuku smiled.

Akira took a card and read:

'around mount miyoshino's crest

The autumn winds blow drear...'

Hajime quickly took one card and read:

'the villagers are beating cloth,

Their merry din i hear,

The night so cold and clear.'

By councillor masatsune.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a man sitting in a house with open shoji and looking at the mountains outside.

'well done, hajime-niisan!' tsuzuku said. 'you stood on ao's head too after all.'

Hajime blushed.

Akira took a card and read:

'the twilight dim, the gentle breeze

By nara's little stream...'

Owaru quickly took one card and read:

'the splash of worshippers, who wash

Before the shrine, all seem

A perfect summer's dream.'

By the official ietaka.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of some people before a stream with trees leaning over it.

'well done, owaru-kun,' tsuzuku said.

Owaru blushed.

Akira took a card and read:

'the mountain wind in autumn time

Is well called 'hurricane'...'

Amaru quickly took one card and read:

'it hurries canes and twigs along

And whirls them o'er the plain

To scatter them again.'

By bunya no yasuhide.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a man in the mountains with his clothes, grass and a tree blown about by the wind.

'hurricane, arashi, that was the name of that lovely miko, ne, amaru-kun?' tsuzuku said.

'what miko?' nokoru asked.

'a beautiful miko in a small temple in the wuyi mountains, that amaru-kun fancies,' tsuzuku answered.

'tsuzuku-niisan!' amaru said.

'amaru-kun already had his genpuku ceremony after all, and serves at court in the introductory rank as a page,' tsuzuku said.

'almost like me just several years ago, but i served as an errand-boy,' masahiro said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

Akira took a card and read:

'mother, for thy sake i have been

Where the wakana grow...'

Masahiro quickly took one card and read:

'to bring thee back some fresh green leaves,

And see - my koromo

Is sprinkled with the snow!'

By the emperor koukou.'

It is said that the emperor koukou composed this poem in the honor of his grandmother. My own grandmother was called wakana. She died young.'

Akira took a card and read:

'all red with leaves tatsuta's stream

So softly purls along...'

Saiwa quickly took one card and read:

'the everlasting gods themselves,

Who judge 'twixt right and wrong,

Ne'er heard so sweet a song.'

By ariwara no narihira ason.'

I knew that great ladies' man. He was charming.'

'really?' watanuki said. 'amazing!'

'yes.' saiwa smiled.

Akira took a card and read:

'it was a white chrysanthemum

I came to take away...'

Nokoru quickly took one card and read:

'but, which are colored, which are white,

I'm half afraid to say -

So thick the frost to-day!'

By oushikouchi no mitsune.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a man standing before a terrace and looking at some chrysanthemums with a boy in attendance.

Akira took a card and read:

'too short the lovely summer night,

Too soon 'tis passed away...'

Tsuzuku quickly took one card and read:

'i watched to see behind which cloud

The moon would chance to stay,

And here's the dawn of day!'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a man sitting in a terrace of a house in the mountains with a stream before it and bushes around it and looking at a moon between the clouds.

Akira took a card and read:

'this lovely morn the dewdrops flash

Like diamonds on the grass...'

Tsuzuku quickly took one card and read:

'a blaze of sparkling jewels! But

The autumn wind, alas!

Scatters them as i pass.'

By bunya no asayasu.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a man standing and looking at the grass with dewdrops scattered around him.

Akira took a card and read:

'this waterfall's melodious voice

Was famed both far and near...'

Mokkun quickly took one card and read:

'although it long has ceased to flow,

Yet still with memory's ear

Its gentle splash i hear.'

By dainagon kintou.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a man standing and looking at a dry watercourse of a waterfall in the mountains.

'amazing!' watanuki said. Mokkun grinned.

Akira took a card and read:

'so thickly lies the morning mist,

That i can scarcely see...'

Suoh quickly took one card and read:

'the fish-nets on the river bank,

The river of uji,

Past daybreak though it be.'

By gon chunagon sadayori.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of two men standing under a tree and looking at a river.

Akira took a card and read:

'i've seen thee but a short few hours;

As short, they seemed to me...'

Tsuzuku quickly took one card and read:

'as bamboo reeds at naniwa;

But tide-stakes in the sea

Can't gauge my love for thee.'

By an official of the dowager empress kouka.'

He showed the card, the picture on it was of a lady sitting in a house.

Akira took a card and read:

''tis easier to hide the reeds

Upon the moor that grow...'

Tsuzuku quickly took one card and read:

'than try to hide the ardent love

That sets my cheeks aglow

For somebody i know.'

By councillor hitoshi.'

It sounds like hajime-niisan, ne?'

Hajime blushed.

'see?' tsuzuku said.

'and it sounds like suoh and akira too,' nokoru said.

Suoh and akira blushed.

'see?' nokoru said.

Akira took a card and read:

'alas! The blush upon my cheek,

Conceal it as i may...'

Mokkun quickly took one card and read:

'proclaims to all that i'm in love,

Till people smile and say -

'where are thy thoughts to-day?'

By taira no kanemori.'

It sounds like masahiro, too.'

'mokkun!' masahiro said.

Nokoru smiled.

Akira took a card and read:

'our courtship, that we tried to hide,

Misleading is to none...'

Nokoru quickly took one card and read:

'and yet how could the neighbors guess,

That i had yet begun

To fancy any-one?'

By nibu no tadami.'

This sounds like suoh and akira too.'

Suoh and akira blushed.

'and like masahiro too!' mokkun said.

They played long after that, but in the end tsuzuku had most cards.

'you win, tsuzuku-san,' akira said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

'your right guesses prevail in this game like the fujiwara among those poets,' miyuki said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

'congratulations, tsuzuku-kun,' hajime said.

'thank you, hajime-niisan,' tsuzuku said.

'congratulations, tsuzuku-kun,' matsuri said.

'thank you, matsuri-chan,' tsuzuku said.

'congratulations, tsuzuku-niisan,' owaru and amaru said.

'thank you,' tsuzuku said.

'congratulations, tsuzuku-san,' everyone said.

'thank you,' tsuzuku said.

'congratulations, tsuzuku-sama,' mana said.

'thank you, mana-chan,' tsuzuku said.

Mana blushed.

'now let's play tora-tora,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' matsuri said.

'kimihiro-kun, let's play,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' watanuki said.

'one who loses takes off an item of their clothing, of course,' tsuzuku said.

'what!' watanuki said.

'why, it's common,' tsuzuku said.

'you chose kimihiro-san on purpose, ne, tsuzuku-san?' yuusuke smiled.

'of course, kimihiro-kun has few clothes and would blush most,' tsuzuku said.

'yes, kimihiro-san has few clothes,' yuusuke said. 'if it was about me, i would count each sock, each glove, my gebako and of course my headband as an item of my clothing.'

'yes, komusoh have complicated clothing,' tsuzuku said. 'most priests have much less clothes.'

'yes.' yuusuke smiled.

'and you wouldn't blush,' tsuzuku said.

'of course not.' yuusuke smiled.

'nor would shizuka-kun, nokoru-san, suoh-san and akira-san who have few clothes too,' tsuzuku said.

'no, of course not.' nokoru smiled.

'and all the others are dressed like courtiers dress, or in chinese clothes, mostly,' tsuzuku said.

'yes.' yuusuke smiled.

'by the way, what is your rank, yuusuke-san?' tsuzuku asked.

'fourth,' yuusuke answered.

'a councillor?' tsuzuku said.

'yes, but i'm a samurai by birth and a priest, so please don't call me yuusuke-sama,' yuusuke said.

'of course not, you're our friend, yuusuke-san,' tsuzuku said.

'good.' yuusuke smiled.

'and you are of fourth rank too, nokoru-san?' tsuzuku asked.

'of course, for i am an amenosa,' nokoru said. 'but please don't call me nokoru-sama. I had plenty of that.'

'of course not,' tsuzuku said.

'kimihiro-san, do as i would have, though you have much less clothes,' yuusuke said.

'thank you, i will,' watanuki said.

'now let's play, kimihiro-kun,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' watanuki said.

Tsuzuku came to a screen and sat on one side. Watanuki came to the screen too and sat on another side.

'go ahead, kimihiro-kun!' tsuzuku said.

Watanuki took the pose of a tiger, and at the same time tsuzuku took the pose of a hunter.

'you lost, kimihiro-san,' nokoru said. 'you are a tiger, and tsuzuku-san is a hunter.'

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled and came from behind the screen. Watanuki came from behind the screen too and looked at tsuzuku. Tsuzuku smiled. Watanuki blushed and took off one tabi.

'now let's continue!' tsuzuku said. He came to the screen and sat on one side of it again. Watanuki came to the screen and sat on the other side. Watanuki took the pose of a hunter, and tsuzuku took the pose of an old woman.

'you lost again, kimihiro-san!' nokoru said. 'you are a hunter and tsuzuku-san is hunter's mother.'

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled and came from behind the screen. Watanuki came from behind the screen too and looked at tsuzuku. Tsuzuku smiled. Watanuki blushed and took off another tabi.

Tsuzuku came to the screen and sat on one side of it again. Watanuki came to the screen and sat on another side. Watanuki took the pose of a tiger and tsuzuku took the pose of an old woman.

'tsuzuku-san, this time you lost!' nokoru said. 'you are hunter's mother and kimihiro-san is a tiger.

'oh?' tsuzuku said and came from behind the screen. Watanuki came from behind the screen too. Tsuzuku smiled and took off one tabi.

'you are very calm, tsuzuku-san,' nokoru said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

'of course, you're dressed like courtiers dress, and courtiers have a lot of clothes on even when in casual clothes,' matsuri said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

'now continue!' nokoru said.

Tsuzuku came to the screen and sat on one side. Watanuki came to the screen and sat on another side. Watanuki took the pose of a hunter and tsuzuku took the pose of a tiger.

'you lost again, tsuzuku-san!' nokoru said. 'you are a tiger, and kimihiro-san is a hunter.'

Tsuzuku came from behind the screen. Watanuki came from behind the screen too. Tsuzuku smiled and took off another tabi.

'look sharp, tsuzuku-san!' nokoru said.

Tsuzuku came to the screen and sat on one side. Watanuki came to the screen and sat on another side. Watanuki took the pose of an old woman and tsuzuku took the pose of a tiger.

'you lost, kimihiro-san!' nokoru said. 'you are hunter's mother and tsuzuku-san is a tiger.

Tsuzuku came from behind the screen. Watanuki came from behind the screen too and looked at tsuzuku. Tsuzuku smiled. Watanuki blushed and untied his obi and took it off.

Tsuzuku came to the screen and sat on one side. Watanuki came to the screen and sat on another side. Watanuki took the pose of a hunter and tsuzuku took the pose of an old woman.

'you lost, kimihiro-san!' nokoru said. 'you are a hunter and tsuzuku-san is hunter's mother.

Tsuzuku came from behind the screen. Watanuki came from behind the screen too and looked at tsuzuku. Tsuzuku smiled. Watanuki blushed and took off his kimono, left in a white juban.

Tsuzuku came to the screen and sat on one side. Watanuki came to the screen and sat on another side. Watanuki took the pose of an old woman and tsuzuku took the pose of a hunter.

'this time you lost, tsuzuku-san!' nokoru said. 'you are a hunter and kimihiro-san is hunter's mother.'

Tsuzuku came from behind the screen. Watanuki came from behind the screen too. Tsuzuku smiled and took off his tall black hat.

'continue!' nokoru said.

Tsuzuku came to the screen and sat on one side. Watanuki came to the screen and sat on another side. Watanuki took the pose of a hunter and tsuzuku took the pose of a tiger.

'you lost, tsuzuku-san!' nokoru said. 'you are a tiger and kimihiro-san is a hunter.'

Tsuzuku came from behind the screen. Watanuki came from behind the screen too. Tsuzuku smiled and took off his long wide white robe, left in purple loose trousers and a white kimono with a red one showing from under it.

'be on guard, tsuzuku-san!' nokoru said.

Tsuzuku came to the screen and sat on one side. Watanuki came to the screen and sat on another side. Watanuki took the pose of a tiger and tsuzuku took the pose of a hunter.

'you lost, kimihiro-san!' nokoru said. 'you are a tiger and tsuzuku-san is a hunter.'

Tsuzuku came from behind the screen. Watanuki came from behind the screen too. Tsuzuku smiled. Watanuki blushed and took off his juban, left naked.

'you lost completely, kimihiro-san!' nokoru said.

'yes.' tsuzuku smiled.

'i see,' watanuki grumbled.

'now you can dress, kimihiro-kun,' tsuzuku said.

Watanuki put on his juban and kimono, tied his obi and put on his tabi. Tsuzuku put on his robe, hat and tabi.

'now do you want to hear my flute?' yuusuke asked.

'of course!' tsuzuku said.

'miyuki-chan, would you dance?' yuusuke asked.

'of course,' miyuki said.

Yuusuke put his flute to his lips and played a haunting melody. Miyuki danced gracefully with her sword.

'you are a good couple, a komusoh who is an amenosa, and a shirabyoshi dancer,' tsuzuku said.

'yes.' yuusuke smiled.

'i can check your compatibility and choose the auspicious date when time comes,' masahiro said.

'thank you, masahiro-san,' yuusuke said. 'i will call you when time comes.'

'i would be glad,' masahiro said.

'now let's play hoobiki!' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' matsuri said.

Tsuzuku went out and some time later returned with a silk purple bag from which showed a lot of white silk strings. He sat down and put the bag on the floor.

'now pull,' he said.

Hajime rose first, went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, hajime-niisan.' tsuzuku smiled.

Tsuzuku rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'i'm out of luck too.' tsuzuku smiled.

Owaru rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, owaru-kun.' tsuzuku smiled.

'damn!' owaru said. Matsuri and tsuzuku smiled.

Amaru rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, amaru-kun.' tsuzuku smiled.

Eve rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, eve-chan.' tsuzuku smiled.

Ryuuou rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, ryuuou-san.' tsuzuku smiled.

'damn!' ryuuou said. Matsuri and tsuzuku smiled.

Mana rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, mana-chan.' tsuzuku smiled.

'oh,' mana said.

Saiwa rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, saiwa-san.' tsuzuku smiled.

'it seems so.' saiwa smiled.

Nokoru rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, nokoru-san.' tsuzuku smiled.

'it looks like it.' nokoru smiled.

Suoh rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, suoh-san.' tsuzuku smiled.

Akira rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, akira-san.' tsuzuku smiled.

'oh,' akira said.

Masahiro rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, masahiro-san.' tsuzuku smiled.

'oh,' masahiro said.

Mokkun rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, mokkun,' nokoru said.

'damn!' mokkun said. Nokoru smiled.

Yuusuke rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, yuusuke-san.' tsuzuku smiled.

'it looks like that.' yuusuke smiled.

Miyuki rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, miyuki-san.' tsuzuku smiled.

'it seems like it,' miyuki said.

Doumeki rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was nothing on the end.

'no luck, shizuka-kun.' tsuzuku smiled.

Watanuki rose and went to the bag, sat near it and pulled one string. There was a mochi on the end.

'you win, kimihiro-kun.' tsuzuku smiled.

'wow!' watanuki said.

'yes.' matsuri smiled.

Watanuki untied the mochi from the string and ate it. It was very tasty.

'how do you like your prize, kimihiro-kun?' tsuzuku asked.

'very much,' watanuki said.

'thank you, i tried to choose a good one.' tsuzuku smiled.

'i can't believe you won,' doumeki said.

'why you!' watanuki shouted. Matsuri, tsuzuku, nokoru and yuusuke smiled.

'well, hoobiki isn't cards,' eve said.

'what is this about cards?' tsuzuku asked.

'they say that one unlucky at cards is lucky in love, and vice versa,' eve said.

'oh,' tsuzuku said. 'well, i suppose that is true about me, but now i have you. I like mahjong, hanafuda and uta garuta and i am quite good at them.'

Eve smiled.

'that is a western saying, ne?' tsuzuku asked.

'yes,' eve said.

'there are many interesting things about the west,' tsuzuku said.

'yes.' eve smiled.

'and with you, eve-chan, i learn more and more about them,' tsuzuku said.

Eve smiled.

'nokoru-san, suoh-san, akira-san, yuusuke-san, miyuki-san and masahiro-san, please stay with us,' tsuzuku asked.

'of course,' nokoru said.

'gladly,' yuusuke said.

'of course, but please send someone to tell my mother and father that i am staying with you,' masahiro said.

'of course,' tsuzuku said.

'masahiro-san's father, yoshimasa-san, is a very talented onmyouji and has an academic degree of hakase, and masahiro-san's mother, tsuyuki-san, is a charming lady,' matsuri said. 'they love each other very much.'

'yes.' masahiro smiled.

'nokoru-san, can you play usual sugoroku?' tsuzuku asked.

'of course.' nokoru smiled.

'all right, then i'll bring the board, and we'll play, and everyone else can watch,' tsuzuku said.

'all right,' nokoru said.

Tsuzuku rose, went out and some time later returned with a long low black lacquered table marked with rosettes on the edges of the long sides with crescents in the middle of each side, a pile of black and white disks and two dice on the table. He put the table on the floor and put the disks in two rows on one end of the table along the edge on opposite sides, black ones in one row and white ones in another. Then he sat down near the table.

'please sit down too, nokoru-san,' tsuzuku said.

Nokoru sat down near tsuzuku.

'please shake the dice, nokoru-san,' tsuzuku said.

Nokoru took the dice in his cupped hands and shook them, then threw them on the table.

'you are black, nokoru-san,' tsuzuku said.

'all right.' nokoru smiled.

'please take your place, nokoru-san,' tsuzuku said.

Nokoru rose, went to the side of the table where the black disks were and sat down. Tsuzuku rose and went to the side of the table where the white disks were and sat down too.

'now please shake the dice again,' tsuzuku said.

Nokoru took the dice in his cupped hands and shook them, then threw them on the table.

'four,' nokoru said, took one disk and put it on the fourth rosette from his disks.

Tsuzuku took the dice in his cupped hands and shook them.

'three,' he said, took one disk and put it on the third rosette from his disks.

Tsuzuku and nokoru played long, but at last all of nokoru's disks were within the last row, and tsusuku's disks weren't.

'you won, nokoru-san,' tsuzuku said.

'yes.' nokoru smiled.

'you are clever, nokoru-san,' tsuzuku said.

'thank you.' nokoru smiled.

At this point came a girl in a blue chinese robe, carrying a tray with dishes and chopsticks. She put it on the floor and went out. In the dishes there were grated tororo-imo (yam) with wasabi and soy sauce, tanzaku -stripes of tororo-imo with katsuobushi and soy sauce, daikon nimono - boiled sliced daikon with konbu, sake, sugar and soy sauce, and yu-dofu - boiled tofu with konbu, ajipon and nanami.

When they finished eating, tsuzuku said:

'well, oyasumi nasai, hajime-niisan, matsuri-chan, owaru-kun, amaru-kun, kimihiro-kun, shizuka-kun, ryuuou-san, saiwa-san.'

'oyasumi nasai,' matsuri said.

'oyasumi nasai,' owaru said.

'oyasumi nasai,' watanuki said.

'oyasumi nasai,' ryuuou said.

'oyasumi nasai,' saiwa said.

They rose and went out. Watanuki and doumeki went through the garden to their lodging. When they came, doumeki just undressed and went to sleep. Watanuki undressed and went to sleep too.


End file.
